I'm Conor McGregor's personal photographer, but now I'm swapping the camera for a Misfits Boxing title fight
31/08/2024 18:16
Before making his debut tonight at Misfits 17 in Dublin, fans of the crossover boxing scene had yet to meet Dave Fogarty.
But in the fight game, he carries quite a reputation both in and out of the MMA cage. The 34-year-old was one of Ireland’s most prominent amateur fighters for years before pouring all of his time into travelling the world as Conor McGregor’s personal photographer.
He has been through the incredible highs of the Irishman’s three UFC title wins, all the way through to his lows such as breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and the immediate aftermath. Now, he returns to fighting for a boxing match of his own, aiming to take home Misfits Boxing gold.
- Who is Conor McGregor?Step inside the hedonistic life of UFC's 'notorious' bad boy and legendary double champ
Dave Fogarty makes boxing debut against Deen The Great at Misfits 17
For Dublin’s Fogarty, he has been thrown in at the deep end with Misfits Boxing, signing up to fight the fearsome lightweight champion Deen The Great. The Irishman will have a massive 13,000-strong home crowd at the 3Arena, where McGregor made his famous ‘we’re not here to take part’ speech.
But he faces a stern test in the American, who has never been beaten in the Misfits ring, and has enjoyed attention from the likes of Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson. “Normally I’m hanging at ringside with the media lads,” he joked in an exclusive chat with Bloody Elbow.
“It’s great being here with my team, my nutritionist Tristan Kennedy, my good friend Luca Bish here so it’s great coming with people. Normally I’m the one there to support people, but they’re here to support me and it’s nice to have the roles reversed.
“I wasn’t lying and there was no bravado when I say that the closer this gets the more confident I become. He’s a lot smaller than me, and I am going nowhere, he’ll see that on Saturday night.”
Dave Fogarty details key advice from Conor McGregor ahead of boxing debut
It goes without saying that there is nobody who knows the big fight feel more than Conor McGregor. He has allowed Fogarty some time away from camp to focus on his own fight, but has continued to give advice behind the scenes.
“Conor has given me some great advice,” he said. “Especially about working in the clinch, some other things. So I’m going to take the information Conor’s given me, the information I’ve got from Crumlin Boxing and big shoutout to Emmett Brennan who I’ve been doing pads with.
“Emmett’s a phenomenal fighter, a Celtic champion, and I think once he’s finished fighting he has a bright future in front of him. We’ve had countless hours, there’s been dedication from the whole camp towards me.
“In modern fight sports, he is big fights, he simply is big fights. There’s nobody bigger than him. And there have been things like that that he’s talked to me about [for the Deen The Great bout].
“He’s told me about when your legs start feeling heavy, how to get your bearings. How to get your breath back. How not to overwork yourself, the positions you can put yourself in, accept some positions and not others.
“He makes opponents work the way he wants them to work. That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to make him work, get him tired and I’m going to stop him.”
