The man who took on Conor McGregor in an exhibition boxing bout in Dublin last week has sold his story to US gossip outlet TMZ, accusing the Dubliner of hitting him with a cheap shot during the contest.
Michael McGrane took on McGregor last Friday in a four-round exhibition contest, and said he was caught by a big left hand from the former two-division UFC champion when he was expecting to receive a glove-touch.
"You're meant to back to your corner, but Conor never went back to his corner," McGrane told TMZ.
"Conor leapt at me with a left hook. Conor McGregor hit me with a cheap shot in his own home town!"
McGrane also bemoaned the performance of the referee during the bout, saying he was biased towards the multi-million-dollar superstar in the bout, which was adjudged to have been a draw.
"The ref was on his side," he stated.
"There's no way I would have won that fight unless I knocked him out."
McGregor has had to deal with a fair number of controversies and issues, both inside and outside the sporting realm, over the last 12 months. But judging by the footage, this is unlikely to cause "The Notorious" to lose any sleep.
Despite McGrane's protestations, the footage of the bout appears to tell a different story.
The footage showed the pair HAD in fact touched gloves before the contest after the referee's final instructions.
Then, when the bout began, both men left their respective corners, with McGrane opening up the bout by dancing out of the corner. McGregor simply stepped in and connected with a solid left hand.
It did not seem a particularly egregious or "cheap" shot, especially when a referee's instructions before every fight always contain the line: "protect yourself at all times."
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Conor McGregor's exhibition opponent slams UFC star over 'cheap shot' in boxing match
Conor McGregor's exhibition opponent slams UFC star over 'cheap shot' in boxing match
