UFC Fighter Under Fire for Telling Son to 'Hit Back' Another Child

A video posted by UFC fighter Conor McGregor is gaining traction online due to its controversial message.

Reportedly on vacation with his family in Dubai, McGregor filmed himself chatting with his son against a backdrop of palm trees and lounge chairs. In the video, however, he records himself giving Conor Jr. a piece of advice that's making some parents cringe.

The clip starts with McGregor showing his son his gold crowned lion pendant, which hangs on a chain around his neck. "What's this," he asks, "tell me what this is."

The boy hesitates, and McGregor tells him, "This is the McGregor family crown, champ."

"Look at it...it's a lion's head with a crown on it. 'Cause, you are a king, champ. We are kings."

The pep talk takes a turn when McGregor asks his son about an earlier incident, seeming to involve Conor Jr. being hit by another child.

"Where'd he hit you?" McGregor asks.

Conor Jr. gestures to his back in response.

"He hit you in the back, did he?"

McGregor then tells his son to "hit him in the mouth" in retaliation. "Aim for the nose and the mouth," he appears to say.

"Be faster," he adds. "That's why we train."

Viewers appear split over the video, which McGregor posted to Facebook and Instagram earlier this week.

Understandably, many are critical of the message he seems to be sending his son.

"Don't teach your son to be a little prick lol," wrote one commenter.

"You're teaching him how to be an arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic bully.... like yourself," added another Instagram user.

Countless others, however, have stepped forward to embrace McGregor's apparent parenting approach—including North Carolina's Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a congressperson whose young age and far-right political agenda have garnered quite a bit of attention.

"This makes me so happy," Cawthorn commented on the video.

Some also say that McGregor is teaching his son a valuable life lesson. "Yes!" wrote another prominent fighter. "Don't let anyone put their hands on you without consequences!"

That being said, many are using the video—and its controversy—to point out a potentially bigger scandal plaguing McGregor. After agreeing to donate $500,000 to Dustin Poirier's The Good Fight Foundation earlier this year, reports are now coming forward that McGregor never actually handed over the cash.

"Maybe Conor should just follow through on his donation promise?" asked one Instagram user.

"That's a family crest of not paying up 500k and not being a man of your word," said another.

McGregor has not yet responded to the controversy surrounding his parenting techniques.