As a fan myself of UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, I was delighted to see him being crowned RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year on Saturday night, simply because I truly believe nobody deserved it more.
Since Conor McGregor’s entrance to the UFC he has taken the world by storm, he has carried him sometimes in a manner I wouldn’t agree with for instance the profanity he uses isn’t something I would like young children to be listening to but Conor McGregor’s work ethic is to be admired by all young and old in Ireland.
Looking at Conor’s background, a young man who was on the dole that worked every day and night putting in endless hours to reach where he is today. He is one of the best athletes that we have in Ireland and he should be acknowledged by us here in Ireland for that. He has overcome all the doubters that said he couldn’t do it, some people in Ireland thought he was a flash in the pan but again proved everyone wrong. He truly does deserve Sportsperson of the year.
I have seen over the weekend a lot of negative comments on Social Media about Conor winning this award but instead of people trying to put down Conor McGregor we should be extremely proud of what he has achieved on the world stage, he has done more than any other Irish fighter ever has on the world stage and I am glad to see that acknowledge by RTÉ.
I have no doubt that Conor McGregor will go on to break further records in 2017 and I hope that we get to see in fight in Croke Park in the coming year.