How Irishman checked Conor after Khabib KO
A CONOR Mcgregor superfan has told how he got into the Octagon to check on his hero after his beating by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
David Martin was cageside for the recent fight in Las Vegas when a brawl broke out after the Notorious had lost.
The 41-year-old told the Irish Mirror: “My countryman was under attack.
“Firstly when Conor tapped out, I felt so bad for him. For Ireland. Conor holds the Irish flag on a global level.
“Especially in the US. Every fight there is full of great Irish people supporting not just Conor but Ireland.”
David is originally from Coolock in North Dublin, but moved to the US when he was 21 and now owns a global design agency working with clients including Facebook, Google and Porsche. His foray into the Octagon went unnoticed until UFC fighter Daniel Cormier told ESPN’S Ariel Helwani he spotted a fan inside the cage.
Footage shows David running in towards Mcgregor and gathering around lightweight champ Khabib. He added: “Once it was over, Daniel Cormier was beside me. He was getting emotional at something. I saw people running at the Octagon or some commotion.
“Daniel was upset and he was in Khabib’s camp.
“The last thing I wanted was him in that cage emotional, potentially in a conflict with Irish fans that were trying to fight off the Russians.
“I thought the Russian fans were storming the cage to get Conor. I saw these Daniel Cormier guys jumping in for Conor and I knew I was the only Irish guy in the front down there.
“It felt like a scene from Braveheart. The country needs you because the rest of the Irish are in the nosebleeds because they can’t afford to be down here. F***, I’m going in to protect our boy, our flag carrier.”
David, who now lives in Napa Valley in California, had managed to get cageside seats alongside actor and friend Josh Duhamel and two other pals.
The married dad of one said: “What you don’t see on the videos is I grabbed Conor and held him in my arms.
“He was tired. He was telling the security to go away from him.
“They did. I told him to just breathe while keeping an eye out if anyone was coming over the cage. I have a habit of taking needed.
“And it’s likely why folks thought I was a legit authority when I was just some Irish guy living in America.
“Conor once said, ‘When one of us goes to war, we all go to war’.”
However, David’s parents and family members panicked when they heard he could be in danger.
A Whatsapp group chat shows his mother worried about his well-being.
His wife messaged: “David get the F out of the Octagon.”
While his mother added: “David if you are reading this please stay away from any trouble, use your scouts’ training.”
David simply replied: “Had to hold Conor. Calm him down.”
CALIFORNIA YESTERDAY
over when it’s
It felt like Braveheart. F***, I’m going in to protect our boy
DAVID MARTIN