Conor McGregor’s Friend Gets Knocked Out In Shocking Boxing Debut

Conor McGregor and Dave Fogarty getting knocked down

Conor McGregor’s name resonates in the MMA world and every nook and corner of the combat sports industry. As such, anyone associated with ‘The Notorious’ is looked upon with anticipation. McGregor’s personal photographer, Dave Fogarty, decided to swap his camera for boxing gloves.

Now, Fogarty’s no stranger to the fight game. He’s been capturing Conor McGregor’s highs and lows for years. But being in the spotlight? That’s a whole new ball game. The event went down at Dublin’s 3Arena, part of KSI’s Misfits Boxing series. Fogarty stepped into the ring against Deen The Great, the reigning lightweight champ.

At first, it looked like Fogarty might just pull off an upset. He came out swinging, putting pressure on Deen. But as they say, it ain’t over ’til it’s over, and this one ended with a bang. Deen The Great lived up to his name. He caught Fogarty with a right hand in round three. Fogarty got up, but it was like watching a baby giraffe on roller skates. The ref called it quits with just three seconds left in the round.

Now, you might be thinking, “Why would Conor McGregor’s photographer step into the ring?” Fogarty’s got some fighting experience. He’s had 12 MMA bouts before.  After the fight, Fogarty was understandably disappointed. But in the fight game, you win some, and you lose some. As for McGregor, he is slated to possibly appear in the Octagon this December.

Conor McGregor was quick to give props to his friend and photographer after he got knocked out at Misfits Boxing 17

Dave Fogarty has been following the UFC legend around the world and documenting his life in and outside the Octagon for a number of years.

Fogarty was a fighter before becoming McGregor’s photographer

On Saturday night, he swapped his camera for a pair of boxing gloves as he took on Misfits lightweight champion Deen The Great at the 3Arena in Dublin.

Fogarty was a 7-4 amateur MMA fighter before switching careers, but he was the underdog going into his boxing debut against the 5-0 Misfits star – real name Nurideen Shahid Shabazz.

McGregor’s personal paparazzi started well and put lots of pressure on Deen The Great, but things fell apart at the start of the third frame.

Fogarty got dropped by a right hand. The Irishman showed tons of heart to get up and seemingly recover before being floored again by a much bigger punch.

The referee waved things off before he had the chance to get up.

Deen The Great began doing McGregor’s Billionaire Strut to celebrate moving to 6-0.

Soon after, ‘Notorious’ took on his Instagram story to react to the KO.

“Great knock,” he wrote in English alongside a picture of Fogarty in fight gear.

McGregor added a message in Irish that translates to: “Colour my friend, great!”

Fogarty was disappointed with the result during his post-fight interview.

Fogarty got his moment in the sun at Misfits Boxing 17

But it ended in a KO defeat

“I’m gutted,” he said.

“I came out here in front of the Irish crowd, I fed off them and thought I gave them a good show. He had me hurt but I felt it was an early stoppage.

“There were only a few seconds left of the round and if I had made it to the end of the round I would have been fine.

“I thought I was winning the fight, I thought I had won every round up till then but that’s boxing. He’s a good champion, he hits hard but it’s my first boxing fight and it’s only up from here.

“I think I can definitely take the belt in the rematch. He’s a great champion, we had a little bit of back and forth in the build-up but it’s all business.”

Deen The Great got carried away during his time on the mic.

The American called out Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson, who have been boxing at the elite level for years and wouldn’t dream of facing someone coming off a win over McGregor’s photographer.

He said: “I told you what I was going to do, everything I said I was going to do, I did do.

“This is one of the best countries but it’s going to have to be changed to Deenland.

“I’ve been whooping up on all the influencers so get me Shakur Stevenson. Come and get yourself a real belt. Shakur, Ryan Garcia, I know he’s suspended, so let’s run it on Misfits.

“All those pros were ducking so I respect the hell out of Dave.”

Dave Fogarty Believes The Fight Was Stopped Early; Gives Update On His Future With McGregor

Conor McGregor’s personal shutterbug traded his camera for boxing gloves at Dublin’s 3Arena. But in the third round, Deen The Great lived up to his moniker. He caught Fogarty with a right hand that would make even ‘The Notorious’ wince.

The ref called it quits with just three seconds left on the clock. But here’s where it gets interesting. Fogarty believes the stoppage came too early. He’s not throwing in the towel just yet. In a post-fight chat, Dave mentioned he is looking for some sage advice from Conor McGregor himself.

“I’m really disappointed in that stoppage…I’m probably going to head to the one and only Black Forge Inn. I have a few mates on my phone, and I’ll go back and talk to Conor (McGregor) and see what he says. I’m sure he’ll have a bit of voice for me,” said Fogarty via Fred Talks Fighting.

So, what’s next for the fighting photographer? Will he stick to snapping shots or keep throwing punches? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: Dave Fogarty’s got guts. It takes some serious courage to step into that ring.