Conor McGregor has weighed in after Peyton Manning became the subject of a viral social media controversy following an awkward fan encounter in New York City.

The video appeared to show the NFL icon brushing past a fan before the fan turned around and unexpectedly ran into ‘The Notorious,’ who greeted him with some very real excitement. Now, this very stark contrast has fueled online claims that Manning had “ignored” the fan, sparking some really widespread criticism. However, Conor McGregor isn’t buying that narrative.

“Peyton was absolutely fine and fantastic here!” he wrote on X while retweeting the throwback clip. “An exemplary man is P. Manning! We love our army! God bless America! 🇺🇸”

The viral clip begins with the fan spotting Peyton Manning walking through the streets of New York.

“I’m in the city,” he said. “I’m driving. I see f—— Peyton Manning. I love you, mate.”

But rather than stopping for a proper interaction, ‘The Sheriff’ smiled and appeared to say something before continuing on his way. And while what he said was inaudible, it was something that made the fan apologize immediately.

“I’m sorry, brother,” he said. “I’m sorry. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a commotion.”

The disappointment didn’t last long though, since just a second later, the fan noticed Conor McGregor sitting in the back seat of a car exiting the same building Manning had entered. And as fight fans have seen plenty of times, the former two-division UFC champion instantly leaned into the interaction with his usual hyped-up attitude.

“You went baller to baller,” McGregor joked and laughed with a cigar in his mouth as the car pulled away.

As expected, the contrasting reactions quickly spread on social media, with some users criticizing Peyton Manning for appearing to ignore the fan. However, ‘The Notorious’ publicly backed the two-time Super Bowl champion, claiming that there was nothing wrong with the way he handled the brief encounter.

The clip is just one of the latest viral appearances involving ‘The Notorious’ away from competition. Just yesterday, the Irishman made news for unexpectedly crashing Quinton “Rampage” Jackson‘s livestream, another chance encounter that instantly went viral on social media.

It is also worth noting that Conor McGregor’s popularity continues to extend well beyond viral videos, with fans sometimes helping him make headlines without even raising a finger.

Superfan spends a massive sum just to get Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 stool

Following his return to face Max Holloway at UFC 329, the UFC auctioned off various pieces of memorabilia from International Fight Week, including the red corner stool Conor McGregor used after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus just over a minute into the fight that was supposed to cement his place as the better fighter between the two after his 2013 win over ‘Blessed.’

But despite the fact that the match ended in disappointment, one superfan still paid $5,035 to take the stool home. And to make the situation even crazier, it wasn’t even the highest-priced McGregor item from the auction!

A replica UFC title belt signed by ‘The Notorious’ was bought for $6,900, while Conor McGregor’s worn photoshoot jersey went for $2,175. A one-of-one fight jersey sold for $1,625, a signed UFC 329 event poster went for $1,930, and bidders paid between $630 and $650 for his locker room tag and $525 for his pre-fight press conference name card.

All this for a fight that ended in disaster. So one can only imagine the lengths some superfans will go if Conor McGregor wins his next comeback fight. But for now, that will take some time since ‘The Notorious’ remains sidelined after undergoing surgery to fix the injuries.

The former champion has given a timeline, though, as Conor McGregor recently stated that he plans to return during International Fight Week 2027, a card he has described as his “last dance.”

With that outing possibly being his very last as the Irishman claims, maybe some fan can help break a record that ‘The Notorious’ already holds, as the most expensive UFC-related item ever auctioned is Conor McGregor’s 2013 Topps UFC Bloodlines Platinum 1-of-1 Rookie Autograph trading card, which sold for a record-breaking $196,420.

So, maybe 2027 will see a superfan top the number for a personalized memorabilia of possibly the biggest MMA star the world has ever seen.