John Cena brought his legendary professional wrestling career to an end on Saturday night.

Conor McGregor would be 'fantastic' in WWE says wrestling legend John Cena who wants to see UFC star switch

The 17-time world champion tapped out during his final bout against Gunther at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Post-match, the entire locker room made their way ringside to pay their respects to ‘The Champ’, who is respected as a man as much as he is for his wrestling exploits after 25 years with the WWE.

UFC fans got a glimpse of John Cena’s personality when he found himself in Conor McGregor‘s firing line nine years ago.

Conor McGregor’s attack on John Cena and the WWE

Conor McGregor made several unsolicited attacks on the WWE at the height of his UFC career.

‘Notorious’ was gearing up for an August 2016 rematch with Nate Diaz when he dialed in on the biggest star in pro wrestling.

John Cena stayed classy when Conor McGregor called him a 'big fat 40-year-old' in unprovoked attack

“What’s the main guy? John Cena,” McGregor said during a media day.

“He’s 40. He’s 40 years of age. He’s walking around in a luminous orange t-shirt and a headband, talking about nobody can see him.

“We can see him right there. He’s a big fat, 40-year-old failed Mr. Olympia motherf—er

“I’m just speaking the truth. That new age of those guys are absolute dweebs. They just seem messed up in the head. I don’t know what it is. When I listen to them talk, when I listen to them carry themselves, they just don’t seem right in the head.

“That might have been a bit rudeness for me to say, but again: It ain’t trash talk, it’s truth talk.”

John Cena’s classy response

John Cena responded to Conor McGregor’s comments with an indirect social media post about how success breeds jealousy.

“Achievement often breeds contempt. The more you achieve the more contempt you will see. Stay focused on you and moving forward. #NeverGiveUp,” he tweeted in August 2016.

Two years later, Cena had nothing but nice things to say when asked about McGregor’s potential transition to the WWE.

The 48-year-old talked up McGregor as a promoter and expressed his desire to see the Irishman switch sports.

John Cena's Reaction to Conor McGregor's Brutal Dig

“He would do fantastic. Hell, he would put me out of work.” Cena said in 2018. “He gets the entertainment aspect of sport, and I think he gets it as good, or better, than anyone else.

“The way he promoted the fight against [Floyd] Mayweather — that’s what we do.”

“I hope one day, if you’re out there watching, and you want to come to WWE, he would be a fantastic WWE Superstar.”

Conor McGregor’s comeback

Almost a decade later, Conor McGregor is focused on making his eagerly anticipated return to MMA.

Next year, the former dual-weight champion is expected to fight for the first time since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021.

McGregor is hoping to secure a spot on the UFC White House card due to take place on June 14.

It’s currently unclear who he will fight, but Michael Chandler appears to be the frontrunner after chasing the McGregor matchup for years.