The Marriott Center welcomed perhaps its most unlikely visitor of all time Tuesday night.
Irish mixed martial artist and mega celebrity Conor McGregor sat courtside for BYU basketball's clash with Baylor , and his presence became an even bigger story than the Cougars ' tense, overtime victory.
McGregor is in Utah doing business with Orem-based sports nutrition brand Bucked Up, with whom he has collaborated for a line of energy drinks.
"It's so crazy, it's so fast-paced," McGregor told BYUtv's Spencer Linton of his Marriott Center visit. "The crowd is incredible. I'm grateful to be here, so happy to be here and see this. I always wondered what the college (basketball) game would be like, and I'm very, very, very impressed."
Many on social media pointed out that McGregor was a rather shocking figure to see at BYU for a number of reasons, but though he wasn't officially recognized or introduced at the game, he still garnered plenty of attention, snapping countless selfies with fans and even wandering over to BYU's ROC section to lead students in a cheer for the Cougars.
McGregor even posed for a photo with BYU players following their 93-89 win over the Bears.
"That's probably one of the most famous people I've ever seen," BYU guard Dawson Baker said of McGregor. "I was kind of thinking, he's seeing this environment and he's been in some crazy environments himself ... I kind of took a step back and thought, 'Wow, I'm really a part of this,' which was really cool.
"So yeah, it's definitely special. The (Marriott Center) environment was super good tonight. It was so loud and it definitely had an effect on the game."
