THERE WERE MANY tributes to Irish Mixed Martial Arts fighter Cathal Pendred after the 28-year old announced his retirement from the sport yesterday, but perhaps the most poignant has come from Conor McGregor.
The interim UFC featherweight champion, a team-mate of Pendred’s at Straight Blast Gym, may have enjoyed a more successful time in MMA’s biggest organisation, but he’s still very aware that Pendred was one of the sport’s trailblazers in this country.
In a statement on his Facebook page, McGregor described Pendred as a ‘legend’, adding that his former team-mate came along at a time when “99% of the people inside the Irish MMA community, and 100% of people outside, deemed it ‘impossible’ for an Irishman to get signed, let alone register a win inside the UFC. ”
He continued:
“The man deserves endless respect.”
McGregor is currently preparing to take on Jose Aldo for the undisputed featherweight crown at UFC 194.
