Warrior Profile: Conor McGregor – How an Irish plumber became the face of combat sports

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Mixed martial arts is a niche market. The MMA community is a tight-knit group of fans and fight fanatics. Mixed martial arts, by nature, is a polarizing sport. Despite the countless rules, administrations, officials, and commissions designed to maintain its professional integrity; even today, many still view MMA as a brutal and savage street fight.

Prior to 2013, public criticism was even greater. With many states and territories still outlawing mixed martial arts, anybody who wasn’t a hardcore MMA fan knew nearly nothing about the sport or the industry. Even the most famous fighters at the time failed to breach the metaphorical iron curtain that separated the mixed martial arts world from the mainstream media. For a long time, it seemed as if the sport of MMA would never match the popularity or exposure of more traditional sports such as soccer or baseball. The fate of mixed martial arts seemed to be one set in the shadows; until one day a fighter emerged that would catapult the MMA world to new heights. Here is a look at the life of the legend that is: Conor McGregor.

Humble beginnings
Today, Conor McGregor is one of the most successful and highly paid professional athletes in the world. Unfortunately, he was not always a high-roller millionaire living in mansions and driving super cars. McGregor was born in Dublin, Ireland to a working-class family. Growing up, Conor was smaller than most kids his age. As a result, he was often the victim of bullying and violence around his neighbourhood. At a certain point, the bullying became so harsh and incessant that the young McGregor would carry the bar of a dumbbell in his schoolbag for self-defense.

McGregor was always interested in sports, but his first passion was not fighting. Originally, Conor wanted to be a professional soccer player. He only started training martial arts seriously as a teenager to deter further bullying and violence. In 2006, Conor switched to training mixed martial arts, and began his career as an apprentice plumber. Although he was training, and making money, McGregor felt unfulfilled; at the age of eighteen, McGregor made his amateur MMA debut, which he won via TKO after the first round. In his documentary film, Notorious, Conor McGregor highlights this as the turning point in his life when he decided to pursue being a professional fighter.

Becoming big in Ireland
After winning a couple more amateur MMA bouts, Conor McGregor quit his plumbing job and became a professional MMA fighter. Competing out of the SBG Ireland gym, Conor McGregor became an extremely successful fighter in the Cage Warriors promotion. Within two years of his debut in Cage Warriors, McGregor became the promotion’s first simultaneous double champion by winning both the Featherweight and Lightweight championships. Unfortunately for the Cage Warriors promotion, Conor McGregor would never defend either one of his titles; as UFC President, Dana White, signed Conor McGregor to his promotion shortly after.

Taking over the UFC
McGregor made his UFC debut in April of 2013 against Marcus Brimmage. At this point, many MMA fans had heard of McGregor’s exploits in Cage Warriors but doubted his ability to compete amongst the world’s most elite fighters. To the amazement of many, Conor McGregor silenced his doubters in the first minute of the first round with an impressive TKO victory.

After his impressive debut, Conor went on a winning streak which included him defeating both Chad Mendes and José Aldo to capture the UFC Featherweight Title. Unfortunately, McGregor’s six-fight winning streak came to an abrupt end shortly after his crowning as champion when he was submitted by Nate Diaz. Diaz’s victory was short lived through as Conor would come back to defeat him by decision and then become a UFC double champion by defeating Eddie Alvarez for the Lightweight Title.

With both the Lightweight and Featherweight titles, Conor McGregor became the UFC’s first ever simultaneous double champion, solidifying his legacy as a MMA legend. Unfortunately, McGregor would lose his Lightweight belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Why so famous?
Whether or not you are an MMA fan, you have almost certainly head of Conor McGregor. Not only is he one of the most famous fighters of all time; he has also made multiple appearances in TV shows, films, and even popular video games. McGregor has achieved something that many other athletes have struggled to do; he broke into the mainstream media. The question is, how did he manage to do it?

The first thing that most people notice about Conor McGregor is his unbelievably big mouth (no, not physically; I mean he likes to talk trash). Even before he was a UFC legend, McGregor was a master at getting under his opponent’s skin; and with such an impressive arsenal of creative insults to lob at his foes, McGregor is entertaining to watch both inside and out of the cage.

While many of McGregor’s skills lie in the art of psychological warfare, it is important to remember how skillful a fighter Conor really is. McGregor is a clinical striker. He uses stunning head movements, flexibility, and agility to gain a positional advantage. McGregor then typically throws a left straight punch with sniper-like accuracy, which usually knocks out his opponents in one shot. His high intensity, fast paced fighting style allows him to finish most fights quickly and in an emphatic fashion; making him one of the most exciting fighters to watch.