Conor McGregor is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable figures in the world of UFC today. His impressive fight record and his authentic Irish spirit have garnered significant attention. Notably, McGregor holds the record for headlining five out of the six highest-selling UFC pay-per-view (PPV) events, making him the most-watched fighter in history in terms of PPV draw.
But what exactly propelled Conor McGregor to such heights of success? To understand his journey, let's delve into his early career and the events that shaped "The Notorious" into the legend he is today.
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Early Days and Cage Warriors Dominance
Conor Anthony McGregor was born on July 14, 1988, in Dublin, Ireland, to parents Tony and Margaret McGregor. Raised in Crumlin, a working-class suburb, he found an outlet for his aggression in boxing before transitioning to mixed martial arts (MMA) under the tutelage of John Kavanagh.
McGregor made his professional MMA debut on March 8, 2008, for the London-based promotion Cage Warriors, defeating Gary Morris by TKO in the second round. During that run of early fights, McGregor attended his first-ever UFC event, and caught Chuck Liddell’s attention long enough to snag a selfie. After a 4-2 start, Conor would win his next eight fights, all within the first two rounds, and become a two-division champion of Cage Warriors.
From 2008 to 2013, McGregor began his professional MMA career. He began as a lightweight and soon transitioned over to featherweight after a few wins. In 2011 and 2012, McGregor achieved a significant milestone by simultaneously holding both the CWFC Featherweight and Lightweight championships, making him the first European professional mixed martial artist to achieve this feat.
Read also: Legal Troubles of Conor McGregor
Entry into the UFC
In February 2013, UFC president Dana White made a trip to Dublin, Ireland to receive a Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from Trinity College's student Philosophical Society and was inundated with requests to sign McGregor to the UFC. White was immediately impressed with McGregor. "Let me put it this away: I'm blown away," White said after McGregor’s debut in Stockholm.
McGregor's UFC career officially kicked off in 2013 with a first-round knockout victory against Marcus Brimage. On April 6, 2013, McGregor made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi. He won the fight by knockout in round one. Just a week before that fight he had picked up a welfare check for 188 euros to help him get by, but McGregor took home the prize for Knockout of the Night that night and the $60,000 bonus that came with it.
He then faced Max Holloway and won, but ended up tearing his ACL during the match-up. This put McGregor out until 2014, but he made his comeback in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland - ending in a win after the first round and his first “Performance of the Night” award.
Championship Pursuits and Record-Breaking Moments
McGregor next faced Dustin Poirier on 27 September 2014, at UFC 178. Despite McGregor landing only 9 significant strikes to Poirier's 10, he managed to secure a victory early on in the first round, by pressuring Poirier onto his back foot, before exploding with a left hook behind Poirier's ear, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in to end the fight.
Later in the year, McGregor fought Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship and won within thirteen seconds. On December 12, 2015, McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds. It was the fastest finish ever for a UFC title fight.
Read also: Revisiting the McGregor-Diaz clashes
When the event was rescheduled due to Aldo suffering an injury, McGregor instead went on to face Chad Mendes for the Interim Featherweight Championship. The official attendance for the event of 16,019 broke the record in Nevada for a live gate of $7.2 million, which also broke the record for a mixed martial arts event in the United States.
First Loss and Continued Success
McGregor’s first loss came in 2016 in a match against former UFC Lightweight Championship challenger Nate Diaz, contested at welterweight. Diaz had been training as a welterweight at 170 pounds, and McGregor decided he would gain the weight to meet him there, jumping two weight classes in just two weeks. "Weight should never be an issue," he said.
Though it was his first loss in the UFC, it still came with some impressive records. McGregor surpassed his old PPV buyrate and managed to get 1,317,000 buys for the event. On top of that, he received the highest disclosed purse of any fighter in the history of the company to that point at $1,000,000.
At the end of 2016, McGregor fought Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship and won, marking the first time a competitor had held UFC championships in two different weight classes. On 27 September, it was officially announced that McGregor's next bout would be against Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship on 12 November at UFC 205.
After dropping Alvarez multiple times throughout the first round, McGregor landed a multiple-punch combination to stop his opponent via technical knockout in the second round.
Boxing Debut and Later Career
In 2017, after taking time off for the birth of his child, McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather which ended in a loss by TKO. During that time off, McGregor began pushing for a boxing match against Mayweather, bringing it up at public appearances and on social media like the Instagram post below. On 14 June 2017, it was announced that McGregor would compete in his first professional boxing match against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., on 26 August 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
In April 2018, McGregor was stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship due to inactivity. At the end of the year, he was slated to fight undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship and was considered one of the biggest contests in the history of the sport and it was filled with pre-fight hype.
After deciding to return to the Octagon, McGregor faced Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout in early 2020. He won the fight via technical knockout 40 seconds into the first round. This win earned him a “Performance of the Night” award once again and made McGregor the first UFC fighter to hold knockout finishes in the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions.
In 2021, McGregor faced former UFC Lightweight Championship challenger Dustin Poirier in a rematch of their 2014 bout. McGregor lost by a technical knockout, the first knockout loss in his career. McGregor faced Dustin Poirier for a third time on 10 July 2021 at UFC 264. McGregor lost the fight via technical knockout in round one after the ringside doctor stopped the bout.
After nursing a leg injury, Conor McGregor returned to coach The Ultimate Fighter 31 in 2023, with Michael Chandler as the opposing coach. Filming began in February, and the show aired from May to August. This season, titled The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. McGregor and Chandler brought their championship experience to the series, creating intense competition that culminated in the two being scheduled to fight at UFC 303.
In April 2024, the UFC announced a Conor Mcgregor Las Vegas fight against Michael Chandler would be scheduled following the airing of their season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Controversies and Legal Issues
McGregor’s ascent in MMA initially made him a hero in his native Ireland and to fans around the world. His success spurred a surge of interest in MMA, a sport once repudiated by mainstream audiences and sponsors because of its violence. His brash persona soon seemed to get the best of him, however, as he increasingly fell afoul of the law.
His contentious relationship with Nurmagomedov boiled over in April 2018 when McGregor and a group of friends traveled all the way from Ireland to Brooklyn to ambush Nurmagomedov at a UFC publicity event. McGregor and his friends attacked a UFC bus carrying his adversary and other fighters, and McGregor threw a metal dolly at the bus, shattering a window and injuring two fighters.
He was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct and ordered to perform community service and attend anger management courses. McGregor has also been accused numerous times of sexual and physical assault, including an incident that was caught on camera in 2019 in which he punched an older man in a Dublin pub after the man refused to try McGregor’s brand of whiskey.
Accomplishments and Records
Throughout his career, Conor McGregor has achieved numerous milestones and set several records, solidifying his status as a legend in the sport.
- Captured the UFC Lightweight & Featherweight Championships
- Wins by KO/TKO in three different divisions (Featherweight, Lightweight & Welterweight)
- First UFC Champion to hold 2 belts simultaneously (Featherweight and Lightweight)
- 24 wins by KO/TKO, one by submission
- Main Event of UFC’s highest Pay-Per-View buys (UFC 202, 1,650,000 PPV buys)
- Second highest grossing boxing bout in history (Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor, 4.3M PPV buys)
- 100 Most Influential People (Times Magazine Cover, April 2017)
- Pro since 2008
- 13 first round finishes
- Amateur record: 1-0
- Joint quickest KO at 4 seconds
- Held both the Cage Warriors 155lbs and 145lbs titles simultaneously.
Here is a summary of McGregor's key accomplishments in a table format:
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| UFC Championships | Lightweight & Featherweight |
| KO/TKO Wins | Three divisions (Featherweight, Lightweight & Welterweight) |
| First Simultaneous 2-Belt Holder | Featherweight and Lightweight |
| Main Event PPV Buys | UFC 202 (1,650,000 buys) |
| Boxing Bout | Second highest grossing (Mayweather-McGregor, 4.3M PPV buys) |