Notorious The year 2013 marked the UFC debut of the legend known as "The Notorious." With a combination of Bruce Lee's artistry, Muhammad Ali's motor mouth and Manny Pacquiao's southpaw punching power, Conor McGregor was able to knockout (KO) the forgettable Marcus Brimage in just over a minute. Since his inception the entire sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has struggled to reckon with the force of nature known as Conor McGregor. Whether you love him or hate him, Conor Mcgregor has become the most entertaining fighter to follow in MMA. McGregor and his legions have taken over. With his third fight for the UFC, in his hometown of Dublin, McGregor knocked out Diego Brandao in the first round. Afterwards, in an interview with Dan Hardy, the …show more content…
McGregor's rise to stardom seems to have skyrocketed out of nowhere, but what many fail to realize is that he came into the UFC already a two-division world champion of the British MMA promotion 'Cage Warriors.' He held belts at both the Featherweight and Welterweight weight classes. After his first seven UFC fights he won the unified Featherweight belt UFC 194 and at UFC 205 McGregor became the first person in UFC history to capture a title in two different weight divisions and hold them simultaneously. The only other fighters to capture titles at two different weight classes were Randy Couture and BJ Penn. McGregor is the first to ever hold them at the same time. He currently holds a record of 21 wins and 3 losses, with 18 of those wins by 1st or 2nd round KO’s. He even holds the record for the fastest KO with a 13-second knockout of longtime champion Jose Aldo in …show more content…
McGregor never backs down from a challenge. The “Notorious” moved up two weight classes when he received word that his original opponent had dropped his fight, and at UFC 196 he fought world-class black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Nate Diaz, which lead to McGregor’s first loss since 2010. Humility doesn't sound like a trait used to describe someone like Conor McGregor, but that's exactly how he took the loss. When the fight was over Conor stated, "I am cocky in prediction. I am confident in preparation, but I am always humble in victory or defeat." How he handled the loss showed his maturity as a fighter. It was a learning experience requiring great self-reflection. As a result, McGregor halted all media tours, movie opportunities and magazine profiles, which were all products of his success as a fighter. The result was a standoff with the UFC over contractual agreements, which ended up getting him pulled from UFC 200. Nonetheless, Conor got back to what was important, which was training. Being the champion he is, he challenged Diaz again at the same 170 lb. weight class, 25 lbs. heavier than his usual fighting weight. At what was called the "Fight of the Year," UFC 205 proved that the king could not be dethroned. McGregor ended up exploiting Diaz's weakness, using it to his advantage and going all five rounds, winning by