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14th May 2018

Conor McGregor represented himself very well during return to 3Arena

That's more like it

Ben Kiely

Conor McGregor’s appearance at BAMMA 35 went as well as could have been expected.

The last time Conor McGregor showed up at Dublin’s 3Arena, his actions caused an absolute shitstorm. Leaping into the Bellator cage, shoving referee Marc Goddard and slapping a commission member was a really bad look for ‘the Notorious’.

That memorable cameo meant that there was always going to be a lot of intrigue and tension surrounding his inevitable return to the venue. When he showed up to support his SBG teammates at BAMMA 35, there was always a worry that it was all going to kick off again.

SBG fighter Ion Pascu scored a unanimous decision victory over former BAMMA champion Alex Lohore in the main event. For the duration of the headliner, McGregor sat cageside chatting to a young fan.

Conor McGregor

McGregor explained in an Instagram post that he recognised 15-year-old Ian O’Connell from the Late Late Show. He admitted being blown away by his attitude towards life and how he has handled adversity in the moving post.

He singled out his quote, “If you can’t stand up, STAND OUT!” as something that really stood out to him.

Best Behaviour

McGregor watched on as teammate Blaine O’Driscoll scored a big win over Aaron Robinson on the preliminary card. The Dubliner secured a submission victory via rear-naked choke in the first round after scoring a flash KO in the opening exchanges.

Kiefer Crosbie, who also trains out of SBG, shone in the co-main event against Josh Plant. It was clear early on that the fight was going to last very long as both men went to war. The Dubliner did more damage on the feet and when Plant looked to secure a takedown, Crosbie unloaded a barrage of elbows to the Brit’s dome until the referee stopped the fight.

McGregor remained composed celebrating the win with teammate Richard Kiely cageside.

That’s more like it from McGregor. Everyone saw his good side on Saturday night.