Who was the first fighter to beat Conor McGregor?
Artemij Sitenkov was the first fighter to beat Conor McGregor.
An MMA fighter hailing from Lithuania, Artemij Sitenkov handed Conor McGregor the first loss of his professional MMA career. Sitenkov primarily competed as a flyweight in the sport of MMA. However, his bout against McGregor was contested in the featherweight division.
During the aughts, Artemij Sitenkov used to be one of the top flyweights in the European MMA circuit. Sitenkov presently holds a professional MMA record of 15 wins and 17 losses. He’d retired from the sport back in 2016 but returned and competed in a fight in 2020.
The 38-year-old’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss against Tuomas Gronvall at Cage MMA Finland 50 (February 15, 2020). Sitenkov hasn’t competed in a professional MMA fight since the aforementioned matchup.
Artemij Sitenkov vs. Conor McGregor – The Notorious One’s first MMA defeat
Artemij Sitenkov boasted a professional MMA record of five wins and four losses prior to his fight against Conor McGregor, while McGregor entered the fight with a record of two wins and no losses.
The fight between Sitenkov and McGregor was contested at featherweight and took place at Cage of Truth 3 (June 28, 2008) in Dublin, Ireland. The clash between the Lithuanian MMA fighter and the local fan favorite, Ireland’s Conor McGregor, lasted just a little more than a minute.
Artemij Sitenkov pulled guard and ate a few hammerfists from Conor McGregor. Sitenkov stayed disciplined, however, and continued grappling on the mat. He quickly found success with a kneebar submission hold and made McGregor tap out, bringing the fight to an end at the 1:09-minute mark of the very first round.
Conor McGregor is set to face Dustin Poirier in a pivotal showdown at UFC 264
Conor McGregor is set to compete in what many believe is a crossroads fight. McGregor is coming off the first KO/TKO defeat of his MMA career. He was beaten via a second-round TKO in a lightweight bout by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 this year.
The first fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier was contested at featherweight and transpired at UFC 178 in 2014. McGregor won that fight via a first-round TKO. The Irishman and 'The Diamond' are currently 1-1 in their rivalry.
The trilogy matchup between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier is scheduled to be contested at lightweight and will headline UFC 264 on July 10.
While McGregor will likely earn a shot at the UFC lightweight title with a win at UFC 264, it’s believed that a loss would prove to be truly detrimental to the McGregor MMA brand and image worldwide.