Conor Anthony McGregor was born to parents Tony and Margaret McGregor on July 14, 1988, in Dublin, Ireland. He rose from a tough neighbourhood in Crumlin to become the biggest star in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Conor enjoyed playing football as a child but later turned to box as an outlet for his aggression. He was a member of the Crumlin Boxing Club from the age of 11-17 where he also won a Dublin championship there.
In his later teen years he worked as a plumber but left to pursue his dream of becoming a professional fighter, much to his parent’s dismay. McGregor made his professional debut on March 8, 2008, for the London-based promotion Cage Warriors, winning by TKO. He lost two of his first six fights before reeling off an impressive streak, claiming both the featherweight and lightweight championships in 2012.
Conor McGregor was signed by UFC President Dana White in early 2013 and he was impressed with a first-round knockout in his April debut for the organization. He continued his winning ways through July 2015, when he defeated Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title. That December, he knocked out Jose Aldo in a record 13 seconds to unify the featherweight title.
Even though Conor McGregor is a very famous and well-known sportsman for Ireland, he hasn’t always represented our country well with his behaviour over the years. He has had allegations over the years of racism, sexual assault and aggressive behaviour towards his opponents. His ‘trash talk’ is what he is best known for and how he intimidates his opponents but it often gets him in trouble.
Conors relationship with the UFC became strained when his inactivity in the octagon prompted its president to strip the fighter of his featherweight and lightweight titles by early 2018.
McGregor made his long-awaited return in October 2018, nearly two years after his last UFC fight but during the fourth round, he started a brawl which caused him to be suspended for 6 months. On March 26, 2019, McGregor announced via Twitter that he was retiring from the sport that made him famous. He concluded his MMA career with a record of 21 wins and four losses.
Kelly Quinn
Students’ Union Irish Volunteer
Project co-financed by ERASMUS+.
