Conor McGregor: the Athlete of the Moment

Conor McGregor has been talked about a lot lately, especially because of his fight with Floyd Mayweather. Here, we'll tell you more about this UFC fighter.

Until a few years ago, Conor McGregor was known in the UFC arena. However, after his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, he became more than popular. For many, he’s the athlete of the moment. We’ll tell you about his beginnings and fights in this article.

The beginnings of Conor McGregor

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1988, he started boxing training at the Crumlin Boxing Club when he was 12 years old. His amateur debut in Mixed Martial Arts took place in 2007 when he was 18 years old. In his first bout, he won with a knockout in the first round.

As a professional, his number one fight was in 2008 in the lightweight category. This time, he defeated Gary Morris with a knockout in the second round. He continued to win the subsequent fights. Then, between 2011 and 2012, he had a streak of eight wins in a row where he won two championships: the featherweight and lightweight, both with the CWFC.

Then, Conor McGregor became the first mixed martial arts fighter in different categories at the same time. A year later, in 2013, he was added to the UFC squad- Ultimate Fighting Championship. In fact, he was the second Irishman in history to enter this championship.

He debuted in April 2013, with a first-round knockout. Four months later, he beat Max Holloway by unanimous decision. Although at that time he had to move away from the ring when he tore a ligament, he returned in April 2014 with another victory.

His time in the UFC

Conor McGregor’s winning streak would continue in the following matches, with very good performances. For example, he became the featherweight champion when he beat the Brazilian José Aldo with a famous punch after 13 seconds of combat.

In May 2016, he debuted in the welterweight category against Nate Diaz, one of the UFC’s “most famous” (alongside his brother Nick). The Irishman fell by submission in the second round but immediately called for a rematch, which was held after a suspension in August. Here, McGregor won by a majority decision.

In 2018, he returned to the UFC rings to regain the lightweight title against Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he wasn’t able to do it. Here, he lost by a neck brace in the fourth round.

Although he announced on his Twitter account that he would retire in 2019, and after a year away from the octagon, McGregor returned to face the American Donald Cerrone in the welterweight category. The Irishman won by a knockout and became the only fighter to KO his rivals in three different divisions: featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.

The media fight: Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor

We said that Conor McGregor is the athlete of the moment. However, his arrival in the media around the world was because of the fight he had with Mayweather in August 2017.

The preview was more than fabulous. The American said that the only way to get out of retirement would be to fight against “The Notorious” McGregor.

And so it was: the match, for the title “Money Belt”, was held in Las Vegas. The result was a round 10 KO in Floyd’s favor. Therefore, he won his 49th fight with no losses.

So far, there’s been no talk of Conor McGregor fighting again in boxing. He still fights in the UFC, with a record of 22 wins and four losses. Without a doubt, he’s already in everyone’s sight. Surely, he’ll continue to be one of the most outstanding in the UFC for some time to come.

Cover image courtesy of Nación Deportes.