Gracie lost respect for McGregor following UFC 189 World Tour

MMA pioneer Royce Gracie is a fan of Conor McGregor's skills inside the Octagon, but he doesn't like the gum-flapping, and over-the-top bravado the impossibly brash Irishman unleashes outside the cage.  

"He's the most talented, the best, the guy right now, but the way he's talking now he's fallen in my eyes. I don't like it. I lost my respect for him," Gracie told Combate, as translated by BloodyElbow.com's Lewis Mckeever.

Although McGregor has violently delivered inside the cage during his UFC tenure, his legitimacy as the no. 1 contender has been questioned at every turn, especially since he didn't face the cream of the crop during his march toward champion Jose Aldo.  

The common belief is that McGregor used his mouth - not his fists -  to earn his shot at featherweight immortality.

"Aldo is playing the right game, staying quiet," Gracie said. "McGregor is taking Muhammad Ali's model. He can say whatever he wants but he's got to prove it. If he doesn't prove it, his career is going to be short. He's good, but he didn't really need to talk all that. Aldo is playing the right game and he'll prove it in the ring. McGregor is just disrespecting. Guys forget sometimes and lose respect - there's no need for that." 

Aldo and McGregor - who are set to square off at UFC 189 in July - engaged in a world tour to promote the event, with the two men almost coming to blows in front of a raucous crowd in Dublin after McGregor snatched the champion's belt.

"McGregor is good, I like the guy, but he's fallen a lot in my eyes after the media tour," Gracie said. "The other guy is an animal, he's tough, he's been champion for years, he doesn't lose because of this, he knows what he's doing. Conor is new."