Even if you aren’t a hardcore MMA fan, you definitely have heard of or seen Conor Mcgregor. The cocky, brash and talented Irishman is the biggest star in the UFC today and is likely one of the biggest of all time. But where did he come from and what has made him into the star he is today? If you look back only a couple years into the UFC vault, no one was talking about him and very few people knew who he was. So what gives? Here I will go over the journey that led Conor Mcgregor from a fairly unknown fighter, to the biggest name in the business.
Conor Mcgregor was born in Dublin and was a fan of sports from a young age when he participated in soccer. However, by the time he was 12, he began boxing and began to truly fall in love with combat sports. He would eventually become a youth boxing champion, and then began to turn his attention to other forms of martial arts at about sixteen, which is when he first got interest in the newly developing sport called mixed martial arts.
(source: mtv.co.uk)
A few years later, at the ripe old age of 18, Mcgregor made his MMA debut. He won the fight and this began a string of solid performances. Despite his solid record and only having two losses, he wasn’t making a ton of money and was ready to call it quits. In fact, he was only days away from making that decision when Dana White and the UFC called offering him a contract and this was the defining moment in the career of Conor Mcgregor.
The UFC initially signed Mcgregor in 2013 and was only the second Irishman to fight in the UFC. After his signing and first win, he almost instantly became a fan favorite for his trash talking and brash attitude, but also by the fact that he could back it up with his skills in the cage. He continued to win, and continued to trash talk his opponents in a way very few fighters have in the past. It is this attitude (along with the support form the rowdy Irish fans) that really turned Conor into who he is today.
(source: mirror.co.uk)
However, it wasn’t only the fact that he was a fan favorite that turned him into a star, it was the fact that he was generating millions of dollars for the UFC which in turn made them want to promote him even harder. He has some of the highest earning PPV cards of all time and generates much more money than every other fighter nowadays. It is the combination of his attitude, skills, support and a big push by the UFC that has led Mcgregor to superstardom. And while a recent supposed retirement as confused some people about his status as a fighter but mark my words, he will be back, he will continue to make himself and the company millions and continue to be the biggest draw in the UFC today.
