Jean-Paul
Lebosnoyani trained with Conor
McGregor when he was in high school.

Lebosnoyani said he was just 17 when he had the chance to train
with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship star ahead of McGregor's first
fight against Nate Diaz in
2016. Lebosnoyani had just finished a large Mongolian barbecue meal
when his father called to tell him McGregor needed a training
partner at the gym. “American Bandit†trained with McGregor for
about two weeks.

How Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani first met Conor McGregor

Lebosnoyani praised McGregor's humility and said the former
two-division champion has sent him messages throughout his career.
Despite the controversies surrounding McGregor, Lebosnoyani said he
will always respect the Irishman.

“I had just eaten the most I’ve ever eaten in my life. As soon as I
finished my meal, my dad calls me,†Lebosnoyani told Ariel Helwani.
“He goes, ‘Conor’s at the gym. He needs you to train right now.' I
was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna barf all over this guy.' We did a
bunch of jiu-jitsu rounds and trained for about two weeks before he
met Dillon
Danis. That was the highlight of my high school childhood.
Shout out to Conor. He’s messaged me throughout my career. When I
got signed to the UFC, he wrote me a nice message saying
congratulations. When I met Conor, he was the most humble,
down-to-earth guy. Obviously, there’s a lot of controversy with
him, but I will always respect him. He has a special place in my
heart. At that point, he was at the pinnacle of his career, and it
was extremely inspirational how humble he was to someone like me.
He would pull up to the gym in two Rolls-Royces, and the second he
stepped on the mat, that whole persona, the whole ego, was just
gone.”

Lebosnoyani (12-2) earned his UFC contract on
Dana White's Contender Series last year. He has won all three
of his UFC fights, earning his first stoppage victory in the
promotion against Farman
Hasanov at
UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31.

Jean-Paul
Lebosnoyani recalls training with Conor
McGregor as a 17-year-old: “I had just eaten the most I’ve ever
eaten in my life. As soon as I finished my meal, my dad calls me.
He goes, ‘Conor’s at the gym. He needs you to train right now.' I
was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna barf all over this guy.' We did a
bunch of jiu-jitsu rounds and trained for about two weeks before he
met Dillon
Danis. That was the highlight of my high school childhood.
Shout out to Conor. He’s messaged me throughout my career. When I
got signed to the UFC, he wrote me a nice message saying
congratulations. When I met Conor, he was the most humble,
down-to-earth guy. Obviously, there’s a lot of controversy with
him, but I will always respect him. He has a special place in my
heart. At that point, he was at the pinnacle of his career, and it
was extremely inspirational how humble he was to someone like me.
He would pull up to the gym in two Rolls-Royces, and the second he
stepped on the mat, that whole persona, the whole ego, was just
gone.”

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
November 3, 2026

Arman
Tsarukyan is open to fighting Alexander
Volkanovski, provided
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold is at stake.

Volkanovski (29-4) defended the featherweight title with a
technical knockout victory over Movsar
Evloev at
UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi before expressing interest in returning to
lightweight. With champion Justin
Gaethje uncertain about his future, Volkanovski offered to face
Tsarukyan (24-3) for the vacant title if Gaethje retires.

Arman Tsarukyan reminds Alexander Volkanovski how Islam
Makhachev rematch ended

Tsarukyan said the championship matters more to him than the
opponent.

“I'm ready for everyone,†Tsarukyan told Yavuz Saynomo. “For me, it
doesn't matter who I'm gonna fight; I just want to fight for the
title.â€

Volkanovski has expressed confidence that he can counter
Tsarukyan's wrestling and avoid being held down. Tsarukyan
responded by recalling the Australian's knockout loss to Islam
Makhachev.

“He said Islam Makhachev cannot knock him out, too,†Tsarukyan
added.

Volkanovski has twice challenged Makhachev for the lightweight
championship. He lost their first meeting by unanimous decision
before Makhachev finished their rematch with a head kick and
follow-up punches.

Tsarukyan remains confident that his next bout will be for the
title. If Gaethje retires, “The Batman†expects to compete for the
vacant belt.

“I have a title fight next,†Tsarukyan reiterated. “Either Justin
Gaethje. If he is retired, someone else.â€