Fleury On McGregor's UFC 329 Loss: 'Just Sad'

Oktagon champion Will Fleury did not stay up to watch Conor McGregor lose to Max Holloway at UFC 329 earlier this month.

Fleury, who holds titles in two weight classes for the European promotion, told Bowks Talking Bouts that he checked the result the next morning and found the whole affair disappointing. "It was just like, oh, okay, that's a bit sad," he said, per BJPenn.com.

Irish Champion Says McGregor Strayed From Martial Arts

The Irish heavyweight went further, arguing that McGregor's presence has cast a shadow over how mixed martial arts is viewed in Ireland. "Most Irish people aren't very supportive of that at the moment and I can understand why," Fleury said. He added that being an Irish fighter right now puts him in a strange position, wanting to support fellow countrymen while questioning whether their conduct reflects what martial arts should represent.

Fleury said he would have preferred to see a strong performance from everyone involved at International Fight Week but described the spectacle as straying from core martial arts values. "This isn't what martial arts should be about," he told the outlet.

Fleury defends his Oktagon light heavyweight title against former UFC veteran Makhmud Muradov at Oktagon 92 on August 1.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Conor McGregor’s “sad” UFC 329 comeback not watched live by fellow 2 division Irish MMA titleholder