Watch: When Conor McGregor featured in a 'Tunnel to Towers' TV spot in honor of fallen first responders
Because of his notoriety outside the octagon, UFC megastar Conor McGregor's charitable work often gets overlooked. The Irishman grabbed headlines for making a sizeable donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation last March.
The former two-division UFC champion donated $1 million to the foundation through his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey company, making good on a pledge he made in 2018. He also made an appearance on a television spot on behalf of Tunnel to Towers.
"I'm a fighter and I've been through many battles in the octagon. Many consider my fights in the octagon heroic," Conor McGregor said. "But the real-life heroes are those men and women who fight to protect us every day. The real-life fighters, the real-life heroes are the firefighters, the police officers. These first-responders are true heroes because these men and women put themselves on the line of danger every single day protecting us all."
Tunnel to Towers is a charitable foundation that honors the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller during the 9-11 attacks. The organization helps families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Conor McGregor's charitable deeds
Ahead of their trilogy bout at UFC 264, Dustin Poirier accused Conor McGregor of going back on his promise to donate to The Good Fight Foundation.
That aside, the octagon bad boy showed his philanthropic side when he completed some admirable acts in recent years.
Last April, Conor McGregor spearheaded the construction of eight housing units for homeless families in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland. He also delivered PPE kits to multiple hospitals in Dublin and donated $1.4 million worth of medical equipment to COVID-19 frontline workers.
Conor McGregor gearing up for UFC 264
Conor McGregor will return to action at UFC 264 on Saturday, July 10. 'Notorious' will take on 'The Diamond' in a rubber match to settle the score of their rivalry.
The Irishman drew first blood at UFC 178 when he knocked Poirier out in the first round of their featherweight bout. 'The Diamond' got his revenge earlier this year when he returned the favor, finishing off McGregor in the second round via TKO at UFC 257.
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