Conor McGregor has got quite the dedicated fanbase.
If you’ve spent any time in Las Vegas in the days leading up to a McGregor fight, you will be well aware of the passion that travels over with fans from Ireland.
Some would do literally anything to defend ‘The Notorious’ and David Martin definitely falls into that category.
Earlier this week, UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier told the story of one Irish fan who refused to sit idly by and watch the UFC 229 melee which saw McGregor set upon by several members of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team after the lightweight title fight at the T-Mobile Arena.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Cormier said: “This is the craziest story. There’s a guy behind me, he’s wearing this nice jacket. (Something) McGregor. So he’s standing behind me and he goes, ‘Who do you got in the fight?’ This guy’s completely not into the game, right? So I go, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna go Khabib.’
“So after the fight, when we all jumped the rail, I’m like in the Octagon pushing, and the guy’s like checking on Conor. He was like a fan, he was just like a fan that jumped the rail when everyone else jumped the rail and got all the way to the Octagon – he was like checking on Conor. I (later) asked my wife, ‘Salina, what happened with that guy, was he with McGregor?’ She goes, ‘Daniel, after he went and checked to make sure Conor was OK he just got back in his seat.’
“I swear to God. He just climbed the rail and got back in his seat. I was like, ‘What in the world just happened!? What in the world just happened!?’ It was crazy. How did this dude end up in the Octagon, and then he checked to make sure Conor was OK and then he went back and sat down.”
https://twitter.com/Sir_DavidMartin/status/1052321766721314816
The fan, David Martin, has since been tracked down by USA Today and explained what possessed him to put himself in danger by rushing to protect McGregor.
“I wouldn’t say adrenaline took over,” Martin told For The Win. “I’d say patriotism took over first.
“I thought Russia was attacking Ireland. I thought a bunch of Russians were jumping in and this guy (McGregor) was tired and beaten down from the fight and was being attacked by what I thought were a bunch of Russian fans. I needed to step in. I was thinking my country was calling for me right now and I’m going in.”
