Conor McGregor has had one of the fastest rides to stardom in the history of the UFC. He started competing for the promotion in 2013 and was just another cocky fighter with a big mouth and bigger dreams. But over his next six fights he showed the world that he was everything he said he was and more. Six fights, six wins. Five knockouts, three of them in the first round.
But where did this Conor McGregor guy come from? Let’s turn back the clock and track The Notorious from his humble beginnings to his spot atop the sport of mixed martial arts.
2000
Here’s a young Conor McGregor at 12 years old. He grew up in a suburb of Dublin called Crumlin and spent his early years playing football. “The remarkable thing about it is, he was unremarkable, if you know what I mean,” his father Tony recounted. “He was a normal kid. He was going to school in junior high school. He would just come home, do his homework, team up with his buddies after homework and kick a ball about.”
2007
16 years old at my very 1st @UFC event!! I dived on @ChuckLiddell, he didnt know what was happening haha!! #Legend pic.twitter.com/bAGPjiyYDS
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 9, 2014
But he quit football for boxing in his teens when he “realized football was for women.” He transitioned into MMA after meeting UFC fighter Tom Egan, who became his first trainer. As you can see in this fan picture from UFC 70 – only the second UFC event ever to be held in the U.K. – he was pretty passionate about the sport.
2008
2008 was the year Conor quit his day job as an apprentice plumber and began his first year as an MMA professional, and he went 3-1 during that time with all wins via knockout. Even this early in his career he already had his eyes on the big show. “Without a doubt, you will see me in the UFC in the future. Without a doubt.”
2009
Conor spent his days training at the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, the same gym he works out of to this day. In the meantime, he told everyone who would listen that he was the greatest fighter in Ireland. Here he is declaring his supremacy to Pat Barry at UFC 93, the first UFC event in Ireland. Unfortunately, he was not one of the Irish fighters signed up to compete on the card.
2011
So McGregor got to work in the cage. He went 9-1 over the next three years with his only loss coming early on to current UFC lightweight prospect Joseph Duffy. All his wins came by finish, and seven of them were in the first round. A 16 second win in 2011 wasn’t fast enough for him. He finished his next fight in 4 seconds flat. The hometown crowd loved him. “Every single fan in the U.K. was asking when we’d sign him,” Dana White said. “I thought Conor McGregor was a heavyweight when I was hearing about him.”
2012
In 2012 McGregor made the best decision in his life: he grew a beard to cover that pimply babyface of his. Some say it was his effortless wins that earned him both the Cage Warriors featherweight and lightweight titles that earned him a call up to the UFC, but I think we all know the truth. Conor McGregor, and his beard, were on to bigger and better things.
2013
A relaxed Conor McGregor talks about his UFC debut like it ain’t no thang. “I feel the same as all the time. It’s only another contest to me and I don’t give a sh*t about nothing. Makes no difference, UFC, CFC, PFC … KFC. We’ll be hitting that after this Sunday, won’t we?”
He would go on to knock out his opponent Marcus Brimage in just over one minute.
2014
McGregor decides to spice things up and add some ink to his body. He gets a screaming gorilla with a crown eating a heart, because what else would you expect him to get? There’s method to his madness though … it’s a tribute to the gorilla logo from his Straight Blast Gym.
“We’re not here to take part! We’re here to take over!” Those were the words of Conor McGregor after defeating Diego Brandao in the main event of UFC Dublin. He had just successfully headlined his first UFC show, and was hitting his stride in the trash talk department.
He would go on to defeat his next opponent, Dustin Poirier, before they even stepped into the cage. Afterward Poirier admitted the Irishman got into his head. “I was very emotional, just because of everything that had gone on between me and Conor. The build-up to the fight between us made me fight emotionally, rather than relaxed, which is how I like to fight.”
2015
One more win to Denis Siver earned him a shot at featherweight champ Jose Aldo, and Conor McGregor immediately launched into a campaign of mental warfare. The fight continued even after Aldo pulled out of the fight, and continues to this day. Early on during the world tour it seemed like Aldo was seriously pissed off with Conor’s brash behavior, but since returning from his injury he seems more relaxed about the never ending hijinx.
Their fight goes down this Saturday at UFC 194, and it’s looking to break all records for a featherweight title fight. Will Jose Aldo retain the belt and the unbeaten streak he’s held for ten years? Or will Conor McGregor continue to live up to the hype and become the greatest featherweight fighter in the world?