SBG Portarlington will no longer be closed thanks to Conor McGregor.
Earlier this month, the Irish MMA gym was forced to shut down due to the financial strains of the pandemic with overdue rent and the COVID-19 virus devastating the gym as a whole.
However, that was until longtime friend and training partner of the gym’s owner McGregor decided to step in this past weekend and help out.
Here’s what the official Instagram account of the gym wrote on Sunday.
“From the lowest low to the highest high.
WE ARE NOT CLOSING!!
Our team-mate and friend @thenotoriousmma has decided to help us out and keep the gym running. We will be eternally grateful 🙏
To everyone that messaged and got in touch with us to show your support, thank you all so much.
See you all on the mats.
Oss!!”
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McGregor Leading By Example
Gaelic Athletic Martial Arts (GAMA) shared more on the story as they wrote that McGregor’s actions were a true testament to his character — no matter how famous he gets.
“An inspiring story unfolded over the weekend. GAMA founder @honeybadgermma was forced to close his gym after 4 years due to overdue rent and the fact that Covid 19 had devastated his gym.
As everyone who has competed at GAMA knows @sbgport is so much more than a gym. It’s a home, a school, a community, and a family. Philip and his wife Alvina have had a massive impact on everyone who steps foot on their mats each week, and through GAMA, the wider MMA and BJJ community. Without them there would be no GAMA.
With SBG Port closed, the outlook for GAMA surviving was also looking extremely bleak.
However, in a true act of honour, Conor McGregor stepped in to help his friend and team mate Philip by saving SBG Port.
Conor and Philip started out together in a small sweaty gym in Dublin, before anyone in Ireland even knew what MMA was, before their was an Irish UFC world Champion, an Irish UFC double champion, and before Conor shook the world.
No matter how much fame and stardom Conor gains, he never forgets where he came from and the people who helped along the way.
This is a true testiment to the complex character of Conor. He leads by example, by doing. He continues to be an inspiration to the Irish Martial Arts community by not only the way he performs in the cage, but by how he acts outside it.
This is a true martial arts story of loyalty, honour and respect.
“An rud is annamh is iontach”☘️❤️ #loyalty #honour #respect #irishmma #irishbjj”
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McGregor is set to return to action next month when he takes on Dustin Poirier in a rematch that will headline the UFC 257 pay-per-view event on January 23.
And despite looking to be in full focus for the upcoming fight, it’s nice to see him remain charitable.
