That's rising Irish UFC star Ian Garry gushing about the impact Conor McGregor's had on not just his career, but so many MMA fighters coming out of Ireland.

25-year-old Garry increased his record to 11-0 with a win over Kenan Song on Saturday at UFC 285 ... but it likely wasn't the most thrilling part of the night. After IG left the Octagon, the 6'2" welterweight fighter ran into "The Notorious" and shared a moment with the world's most famous MMA fighter.

"I wouldn't say spend time, but we crossed paths," Ian told us, before describing the interaction.

"For me to even hear some of the words that came out of [Conor's] mouth that he had to say about me was kind of breathtaking. It's like 'holy s**t, this is real?'"

Garry continued ... "I'm such a massive fan of Conor's I always have been, I always will be no matter what, and to have him beat my chest and tell me I'm a champion and that he's got me, that he's behind me, it's something that I'll never forget."

Of course, McGregor was watching the fights Octagon-side with Jake Gyllenhaal. The A-list actor and Conor are starring alongside each other in the new remake of "Road House."

As for his next move, Ian says because he didn't take any real damage during the Song fight, he wants to fight on the UFC 287 card (Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira II) on April 8 in Miami ... close to his Kill Cliff MMA gym in Deerfield, FL.

"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to fight in 5 weeks. I'm uninjured, I took 1 shot in the fight. Other than that Im ready and raring to go again."

Against who? Garry doesn't care.

"There's a whole roster of welterweights that Sean Shelby can choose from. At the end of the day I don't really give a f**k who it is. Sean will send me an email. He'll have a name in that email. I'll sign it, send it back and say 'Yeah, cool.'"