UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor has become one of the biggest mixed martial arts stars in the world largely based off his ability to talk. McGregor's trash talk has been a boon to his popularity, but it hasn't exactly rubbed his fellow fighters the right way.

Conor McGregor's Dad Says Aldo Is Afraid Of His Son

Middleweight contender Luke Rockhold is one such fighter who thinks McGregor needs to be knocked down a peg. "I'm lying if I'm saying I'm not entertained by him at some points, but other times I wanna slap the sh*t out of him," Rockhold told TMZ.

"He's a lot smaller than he says he is, literally and figuratively. He's unproven, he's the No. 1 contender, he's not a champion. He's got a lot of holes in his game.

"He's a great talker, he's great for the sport there can only be so many of them. The guy's a loudmouth, he's comparing himself to Van Gogh and Ali, even comparing himself to Rousey. Work your way up, take your time, and practice some humility."

McGregor Claims He Fought Mendes With Worse Injury Than Aldo's Rib

Humility is unlikely to come from McGregor, who defeated Chad Mendes by TKO in a matchup many predicted would be tough for him stylistically. Until facing Mendes, McGregor had been criticized for facing subpar opposition in the UFC, and being untested vs. opponents with strong ground games. Against Mendes he survived on the ground, and proved his striking was elite by stopping him.

McGregor was supposed to fight Jose Aldo, arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, instead of Mendes, but Aldo was forced to pull out by a rib injury. They are scheduled to clash on Dec. 12.

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