Conor McGregor is returning to competing in MMA this Summer and an Oktagon MMA combatant based out of Ireland has weighed in on how much McGregor’s influence has shaped sentiment toward the sport in their home country over the years. Denis Frimpong is the fellow Irish mixed martial artist in question, and he touched upon these thoughts on Bowks Talking Bouts ahead of his last Oktagon MMA contest earlier this year.
In a separate interview on Bowks Talking Bouts with two-division Oktagon MMA champion Will Fleury, he discussed the rise and fall of mixed martial arts in Ireland which, in his viewpoint, undulated with Conor McGregor’s general arc in life. When asked for his thoughts on that characterization as a fellow Irish fighter, Frimpong said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I think Conor McGregor and his rise and fall, I suppose, in the public eye is a macrocosm of MMA in Ireland. Because being honest with you, before him, like the MMA scene in Ireland was absolutely tiny. Since him, it’s gotten massive. Because like when you think MMA, forget about Irish MMA, when you think MMA and you speak to people that don’t know MMA or you tell people like, “I’m an MMA fighter.” Oh, is that that stuff Conor McGregor does? Do you know what I mean?”
“That’s what they say. So, he is like such a symbol of MMA. Yeah, especially in Ireland, that when these things come out about him and his behaviors sort of lead people to think, oh, MMA, that’s what MMA fighters are like. Like that’s what people perceive us as. It’s hard to sort of defend ourselves because MMA fighters are semi-unhinged. You know what I mean? Like to pick a career where you f***ing get in a cage in your underwear like nearly naked.”
Conor McGregor “outside of MMA” makes MMA fighters look like “f***ing crazed animals”, per Frimpong
As he further delved into this analysis of Conor McGregor’s influence on the Irish MMA ecosystem and perception from the broader public piece, Frimpong continued [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“You punch another [guy] and kick another guy in the head, elbow another guy, try and rip limbs off. It’s pretty brutal, you know? Then like people watch that and then they see him outside of MMA and they’re like that’s what MMA fighters are. Like they’re just f***ing crazed animals basically. Like f***ing back to the human cockfighting days of the politicians that would make statements like that. So, yeah, it’s marred a lot of the viewpoint of us trying to get MMA recognized as a legitimate sport in Ireland.”
“It’s marred a lot of the people’s perception of MMA. But, you know, f**k it. Like I want real fans anyway. I don’t want fair weather fans. I want fans that are like; I love the hardcore fans, you know? I love the guys that know what they’re talking about. The hardcore fans will always love people who put on good fights. You don’t have to be this clean-cut guy like you’re coming out doing footballer interviews where you’re media trained and you’re like saying all the right things.”
“‘Yeah, I think we had a good game and I’d like to thank my coach’ and like I want to be able to say crazy s**t. I want to be able to say what’s on my mind. I want to be able to talk about satanic reptilian pedo rituals that are going on on islands around the globe. I don’t want to have to cut down on what I’m talking about. I like the fact that MMA is like the last safe space in the world where you can’t really get cancelled.”