Excellence is not a skill, excellence is an attitude. -- Conor McGregor
Derek Jeter once said “Your image isn't your character. Character is what you are as a person.” When I think of a fighter in the UFC with the most character, I think of Conor McGregor. “The Notorious.” That has to be the most fitting nickname of all time. Humble to arrogance, Conor’s cruel ego destroyed his destiny to become the best UFC fighter of all time.
Since Conor was 12 years of age, he was destined to compete in combat sports when he started participating in a fight club known as “Crumlin Boxing Club.” Conor was noticed by his coaches and was known as one of the best young fighters in the club. But Conor’s parents still doubted that he would make a professional career in combat sports, so Conor took an internship in plumping. Conor however would quit his internship one year later to focus on his mixed martial arts career.
In 2008, Conor would start his MMA career perfectly. Not losing a fight in the regional circuit, Conor was one of the premier prospects on Dana White’s list. Around this time, Conor would meet his future finance, Dee Devlin, who is a huge part in the mix of all of Conor’s drama currently. In the summer of 2012, Conor would make Cage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC) debut in the featherweight division. 6 months of a perfect record in the CWFC, he would become a lightweight CWFC champion. The rising star finally got the call from Dana White in 2013. In April of the new year, Conor would debut in the UFC.
Conor would defeat all of his UFC opponents in 2013 and 2014 despite tearing his ACL in late 2013. Conor would get his “title shot” in the featherweight division versus Chad Mendes. At the end of round two, Conor threw a devastating 1-2 jab combination that would force referee, Herb Dean, to call an end to the championship bout. Conor was the interim featherweight UFC champion of the world. But technically, interim championships aren’t official championships so Conor wasn’t officially a champion until December of 2015. Conor fought Jose Aldo for the official featherweight belt. Conor knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds. What was a better 13 seconds? Conor or Mahomes? I’m taking Conor all day personally.
Conor was the number one pound-for-pound fighter after his impressive knockout over Jose Aldo. This was the start of Conor’s showcasing his true demeanor and personality. Conor would trash all of the contenders in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Nate Diaz would call out Conor after a unanimous decision win over Micheal Johnson. Conor accepted the fight to defend his title in a new division. UFC 196 did not disappoint. Fans would be treated to one of the best press conferences ever between Conor and Nate. But then it was fight night. In the second round, Nate Diaz had control of Conor on the mat and took the perfect opportunity to put Conor in a rear naked choke that would force Conor to tap instantly.
The loss did not shut Conor’s loud mouth, however. Conor would call out Nate Diaz for a rematch. UFC 202 was even better and more exciting than UFC 196. Again we would get an epic press conference full of swear words, but the fight was even better than the first scrap. The battle was bloody and gruesome, but it was at the hands of the judges after five rounds of war. Conor was crowned champion. This would be the last McGregor V. Diaz we would ever get in the UFC.
Conor would next take down Eddie Alvarez in the featherweight championship, and be awarded another championship belt. Conor’s trash talk would not slow down. Conor would next call out the UFC’s best wrestler of all time arguably, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib was the champion of the lightweight and was coming off of a decision victory over Al Iaquinta. UFC 229 was set to take place on October 6, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card was stacked with a co-main that featured Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis which was awarded “Fight Of The Night.” Derrick Lewis also was a spotlight in this fight with his “Performance Of The Night” vs Alexander Volkov. But the main event was the main reason why UFC 229 sold the most pay-per-views of all of the UFC pay-per-views. According to “GiveMeSport”, the card sold 2.4 million buys. This was the biggest fight of the year, Conor vs Khabib.
Conor did not hold back on Khabib. A while back, in April 2018, a few days before UFC 223 took place, Conor charged at a bus that Khabib was in. Conor grabbed a dolly at the loading dock and launched in the direction of Khabib’s bus. Why was Conor crashing out on Khabib? Sources suggest that Conor was upset Khabib had a run-in with Conor’s teammate Artem Lobov. Conor was already enraged with Khabib months before the fight. Conor’s bus attack was the start of Conor’s ultimate fall-off.
UFC 229’s press conference was cinema. Conor and Khabib would fire shots at each other. Conor even tried to offer Khabib a shot of his new drink that he endorses but Dana White shut that down. That didn’t stop Conor from taking a shot himself which resulted in him constantly interrupting Khabib. Conor’s ego was at an all-time high. Conor would continue to trash his opponent until it was time to get in the cage and swing it out, or wait… wrestle it out because Khabib doesn’t know how to strike.
Bruce Buffer announced the fighters and it is officially time. Time for Conor to dominate Khabib right? Nope. Khabib controlled Conor the whole fight. Conor received many warnings for having his toes and fingers locked on the cage slots. Khabib just wrestled Conor until he would tap in the 4th round with a rear naked choke.
The fight was over. All the drama was settled, and Khabib had defended his belt. Wrong. The drama would ensue after the fight. It would start when Khabib threw his mouthguard at Conor’s corner and then Khabib jumped out of the octagon to charge Conor’s corner. The tension was so high between the two rivals that they didn’t even line up Conor and Khabib in the official decision. UFC 229 was epic.
Conor’s loss versus Khabib would cause him to lose control of his self-control. A few months later, Conor was suspected in a sexual assault case in Ireland. Then in 2019, Conor would sucker punch an old man in Ireland and was charged with a count of assault. Conor would retire from the UFC in 2019. Conor made the right decision, he needed to return to a healthy mental state. Conor humbled himself after the assault charge and focused on his family with his finance Dee Delvin. Conor would market his beer in Ireland and was becoming a good entrepreneur until he came back to the UFC in 2020.
Conor unretired in 2020 to fight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the welterweight division. But this was a new look for Conor. He didn’t disrespect his opponent this time. He was acting humble from his past defeats. Conor would knockout Cerrone in the first round on January 18, 2020. Conor was back and looking dominant in a new division. Then covid struck.
Conor would not fight again in 2020 and even considered re-retiring. But Conor chose to stay in the UFC and took a fight offer against Dustin Poirier in the lightweight division. Conor fought Dustin Poirier back in 2014 where Conor would defeat Dustin in a first-round knockout. UFC 257 was looking stacked. A more focused Conor vs a well-rounded fighter in Dustin Poirier. But Conor’s old personality was back. Conor talked trash to Dustin but Conor could not back it up as Dustin would knock out Conor in round two.
The loss brought back Conor’s old self even more as Conor would call out Dustin to a rematch the next summer. This is where Conor would go psycho, as he would verbally assault Dustin about his wife. This made Dustin’s hatred for Conor grow larger. UFC 264 was set and it was set to be a good one. Conor and Dustin's fight hype was at an all-time high coming into this one. The press conference did not disappoint as it was mostly Conor bashing Dustin’s wife but Dustin would hold his ground and make slick comebacks of his own.
It was time for UFC 264’s main event bout between Conor and Dustin. The fight had everything in the first round. Strikes and a good wrestling match with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The fight was not disappointing until Conor’s leg snapped at the end of the first round. Referee Herb Dean had no choice but to call the fight early. The fight was only one round long. Conor could not back up his trash talk once again.
When Conor was lying on the ground, getting medical treatment, he was still running his mouth and verbally assaulting Dustin’s wife. This would be the last time we would see Conor in an octagon. Conor’s short period of rise back from fall was tanked. He was back to his old ways, a lifestyle where he does not care about what people think of him. Shortly after the fight, Conor was suspected of another sexual assault incident in Ireland. Some speculated that these cases were fake and people were trying to get a percentage of Conor’s revenue. It made no sense. Conor had a family with his finance Dee but he was still out in public doing outrageous actions.
The fans started to spot weird actions Conor would do in public like him shaking and constantly licking his lips in interviews. Fans speculated that Conor was on steroids or drugs based on his size difference and how he was acting in public. Conor was looking shredded in one of the pictures he took and posted online. Even influential people who support the UFC like Joe Rogan, who is a former mixed martial arts fighter and now a podcaster and announcer, suspected that Conor was on drugs or PEDs. Conor then was accused of another sexual assault case.
What was wrong with Conor McGregor? It was almost as if Conor was taking more losses now than the victories he was rewarded a decade ago. Conor openly admitted to taking steroids in 2022. He claimed the steroids were for injury recovery and not many people cared because Conor wasn’t fighting. It was the other drugs and alcohol that Conor was hooked on that made fans upset with Conor’s actions.
In 2023, Conor was doing a skit with the Miami Heat during the NBA Finals versus the Denver Nuggets, when Conor absolutely derailed the mascot with a left hook that sent the mascot out cold and sent to a hospital. Then later that night, Conor allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel in Miami. Conor was losing control and fame with his dangerous lifestyle. It wasn’t a secret that Conor was still on drugs and alcohol 3 years after his last fight.
So why is this Conor McGregor saga still continuing in 2025 if he isn’t even fighting in the UFC? Why hasn’t Conor retired from the UFC? 2 days ago, Conor appealed in verdict in a sexual assault case that took place after his fight with Khabib in 2018. The jury found Conor guilty. Conor has to pay 248,000 euros (around $257,000) to the assaulted woman, Ms. Hand. Surprisingly, Dee Delvin, Conor’s finance, has stuck by Conor’s side even though he cheats on her and abuses her love and loyalty to him. Some speculate that she is just in it for her children and Conor’s money. Which is funny because Conor said this during the peak of his UFC career “Look out for those who look out for you. Loyalty is everything.”
I think it's official that we will never see Conor in the UFC octagon again. Conor’s intrusive thoughts and his vicious ego ruined his career in mixed martial arts. Conor’s legacy wasn’t how he would beat everyone he faced, instead, Conor built his legacy of words and cruel actions after he couldn’t win the biggest fight. The fight versus himself. Conor’s self-control and self-discipline are the reason why he will never fight in the UFC ever again.
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