Buchinger recalled his loss to McGregor: He’s a peasant like me, but with a bigger account. I thought I was gonna kill him like nothing

Ivan Buchinger is one of the biggest legends of the Czechoslovak MMA scene. Moreover, he is the only fighter from it who fought with the star Conor McGregor. He literally destroyed him on New Year’s Eve 2012. How does the Slovak veteran remember the duel?

It’s been over 10 years since Ivan Buchinger fought Conor McGregor for the Cage Warriors organization title. The Slovakian fighter had a record of 21-3 at the age of 26 at the time, while the two years younger Irishman boasted a record of 11-2.

Buchinger, however, treated the Irishman as a common opponent. “They told me I would be going up against a McGregor. A bland name. I had a better record, he didn’t impress me on YouTube. I figured I’d kill him like nothing. I didn’t understand why the bookies said he was the favorite. I bet 100 euros on my winnings. It was not the best investment,” he recalled in an interview with ŠPORT.sk.

As mentioned and hinted, McGregor entered the fight uncompromisingly. Even then, he exuded a huge self-confidence, which tricked Buchinger. He admitted that for the first time in his career he began to feel fear, which he never felt before.

The Irishman needed 3 minutes and 40 seconds to knock out the Slovakian star. “Then he came to me in the dressing room, but I was out. I don’t remember what he said to me. Something to the effect that it was a good fight and how I felt. He’s putting on a show to make himself visible, otherwise he’s just a regular guy. A peasant like me, but with a bigger account,” Buki joked.

But McGregor and fear weren’t the only foes that night for the now former two-time Octagon champion. In fact, the fight took place in Dublin, the birthplace of the Irish idol. And the fans were not kind to Buchinger.

On the contrary. The Slovakian fighter himself says they were meaner to him than Conor, who had them wrapped around his finger. He says they’d go to war for him. So Buki has had to deal with all sorts of abuse, even faced death threats. He and his team had to flee the hall through the back entrance.

Buchinger was McGregor’s ticket to the UFC, where he eventually won two titles and rewrote the history of the entire combat sports. However, the Slovakian fighter also garnered success when he became Cage Warriors champion a year after the fight. M-1 and XFN titles followed. He also fought for the title in KSW.

Source:: Sport.sk, Cage Warriors, Sherdog, YouTube