Who is Ryan Fitzpatrick, the NFL star who gets mistaken for Conor McGregor?
NFL star Ryan Fitzpatrick is often mistaken for UFC megastar Conor McGregor over their facial resemblance.
However, when it comes to physique, Ryan Fitzpatrick has a few inches and pounds over the Irishman. A seasoned quarterback, Fitzpatrick is currently a member of the Washington Football Team after signing a one-year contract in March 2021.
Ryan Fitzpatrick discussed the matter with Dan Patrick in an interview in 2018, when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was once mistaken for Conor McGregor while taking a stroll in a mall:
"The first time I heard it was last year. We were playing Minnesota, so I was walking around the Mall of America with Garrison Sanborn and Brian Anger and Nick Folk, and somebody came up to me and started talking to me about my fight with Mayweather. And it took me a minute, I didn’t really know what they were talking to, and then when they walked away, I came to the realization that they thought I was Conor McGregor. Which, I think I’m a little bit probably bigger and chubbier than he is, but I’m OK with it I guess," Ryan Fitzpatrick said.
Dan Patrick pointed out that he was around 80 pounds heavier than Conor McGregor and six inches taller as well:
"Yeah he’s got a few more tattoos as well, I think. I hadn’t gotten it other than that, and it wasn’t even my intent or thought going into that interview, but I get it with the side-by-sides now," Ryan Fitzpatrick explained.
This has been a recurring joke on the internet ever since and numerous fans have compared him to Conor McGregor online.
Who is Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Born on November 24, 1982, Ryan Fitzpatrick is an American quarterback who started out with college football at Harvard. He was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
Fitzpatrick has since played for eight different NFL teams in his 16-season career. Some of his notable teams have been the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins.
The comparisons between him and Conor McGregor were drawn yet again in September 2018. Ryan Fitzpatrick showed up in sunglasses, gold chains, and an open-chested jacket for the post-match press conference after Tampa Bay's 27-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fans were quick to make the comparison and some even found similarities between the attitudes of the two athletes. One fan brought up this iconic line by Conor McGregor and implied that Fitzpatrick's demeanor had been the same.