Conor McGregor’s teammate Ciaran Clarke loses unbeaten record to vicious elbow KO at PFL Belfast

Angelina Katsanis-Pool via Imagn Images

Conor McGregor’s teammate Ciaran Clarke loses unbeaten record to vicious elbow KO at PFL Belfast

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Donagh Corby | Last updated Apr 17, 2026 8:57 PM ET

Ciaran Clarke, who once helped Conor McGregor to prepare for one of his many ill-fated UFC comeback efforts, lost his undefeated record in Belfast last night.

When the UFC legend was plotting a return in 2023, he brought a hand-picked team with him to France for a secret training camp. Kiefer Crosbie – who eventually ended up in the UFC – and Clarke were among the names who made the trip for what ended up being his doomed matchup with Michael Chandler.

Clarke has been one of Ireland’s brightest prospects for years, turning professional after a stellar amateur career in September of 2019. And after overcoming a gruesome injury that kept him out for almost two years and cost him a spot in last year’s PFL tournament, he returned to action last night.

Ciaran Clarke viciously knocked out by Dean Garnett

Last night’s PFL Belfast card was stacked with emerging Irish talent – but some of the results were disastrous. In the main event, Jay-Jay Wilson travelled from New Zealand to knock undefeated prospect Darragh Kelly out just 37 seconds into a hastily-arranged main event.

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And another violent finish that hindered McGregor’s SBG Ireland team came on the prelims when Ciaran Clarke was defeated by the Britain’s Dean Garnett. The scouse veteran was struggling with his opponent’s much-improved striking before throwing a spinning back elbow from seemingly nowhere.

It rendered Clarke unconscious and marked a massive victory for Garnett, who famously was stopped by Lewis McGrillen in a 2024 fight of the year contender. This is the first defeat for Drogheda’s most prominent fighter since his amateur 2018 IMMAF loss to Magomed Magomedov.

Ciaran Clarke leaves classy message in response to KO

In the aftermath of his defeat, Clarke took to Instagram to send a respectful message devoid of any excuses. He congratulated Garnett as ‘the better fighter’, and spoke of his faith in God.

“I never pray to win. I pray for the strength to give everything I have,” he wrote in part of a lengthy post. “To be able to walk through whatever’s put in front of me. And when it gets hard, I call on Him, the one who stretches me beyond what I think I can take.

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“It hurts. I won’t lie. I gave everything I had to come back and be in the best shape of my life, the healthiest, the most ready I’ve felt in a long time.

“The better fighter won. Simple as that. Big respect to Dean Garnett. Congrats to him and his team. Thank you to @pflmma for the opportunity and for putting on a great show as always, and for looking after all of us fighters.

“To my coaches and teammates at @sbgireland, to my family, friends and everyone who travelled up, to my sponsors, and to every single person who reached out before and after.

“I’m going to come off socials for a few days there has been so many messages, and I truly appreciate every single one. I’ll do my best to get back to everyone when I can.

“When it’s all said and done, I hope I truly understand how much that support meant. I’ll rest, heal up for now and keep everyone posted.”

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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