Syed Shayaan Bakht, Gulf Today
Irish mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor has donated £8,600 to realize the dream of 13-year-old Irish twins to travel after they were chosen to participate in a junior championship in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Adam and Dylan Duffy qualified for the Ireland junior team to participate in the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi, but they do not have the money to finance the trip, and when McGregor heard that they were collecting money, he helped them buy equipment and register in the gym and paid for the trip.
McGregor posted a picture on his Instagram account with the twins, with the caption, “Done. Make the land that raised you proud.”
Conor McGregor gestures to the media during the weigh-in.
One of the twins commented: “I almost went crazy, I thought he was joking until I saw the comments. Now I feel we have to win because he gave us all that money.”
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His brother added, "Maybe we would not have travelled without his help, there are many gyms and a lot of competitors, but he donated to us and this is unbelievable."
Mixed martial arts rules for 12-17 year olds have been revised to ban kicks to the head and focus more on technique so youngsters are not exposed to unnecessary risks.
The twins still have a few months to train for the big event, and their icon, McGregor himself, is gearing up for another fight this winter or early next year, against Michael Chandler.