Conor McGregor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Conor McGregor
McGregor in 2018
Born	Conor Anthony McGregor (1988-07-14) 14 July 1988 (age 35) Dublin, Ireland
Nickname(s)	Notorious
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg)
Division	Featherweight (2008–2015) Lightweight (2008–2012, 2016–2018, 2021–present) Welterweight (2016, 2020)
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Team	SBG Ireland
Trainer	John Kavanagh (Head coach) Owen Roddy, Raj Vrînceanu (Boxing) Sergey Pikulskiy (Wrestling) John Connor (S&C) George Lockhart (Nutrition)
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under John Kavanagh
Years active	2008–present
Professional boxing record
Total	1
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	28
Wins	22
By knockout	19
By submission	1
By decision	2
Losses	6
By knockout	2
By submission	4
Amateur record
Total	1
Wins	1
By knockout	1
Losses	0

Conor Anthony McGregor (Irish: Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight and Lightweight Champion, becoming the first UFC fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously. He is also a former Cage Warriors Featherweight and Lightweight Champion. Throughout his career, McGregor has become the subject of many controversies due to his behaviour.

He is the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, having headlined the five highest-selling UFC PPV events. His bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 drew 2.4 million PPV buys, the most ever for an MMA event. His debut professional boxing match, during which he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr., drew over 5.3 million buys across the United States and the United Kingdom. McGregor was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021, earning a reported $180 million. He also featured in the list in 2018, when he was ranked fourth, with a reported income of $99 million.

Early life

Conor Anthony McGregor was born in Crumlin, Dublin, the son of Tony and Margaret McGregor. He was raised in Crumlin, and attended Irish-language schools — the Gaelscoil Scoil Mológa, in Harold's Cross, at primary level, and Gaelcholáiste Coláiste de hÍde in Tallaght at secondary level, where he also developed his passion for sport, playing football.

In his youth, he played football for Lourdes Celtic Football Club. At the age of 12, he also began boxing at Crumlin Boxing Club, as a way to defend himself against bullies and raise his confidence.

In 2006, McGregor moved with his family to Lucan, Dublin, attending Gaelcholáiste Coláiste Cois Life. Following that, he commenced a plumbing apprenticeship. While in Lucan, he met future UFC fighter Tom Egan and they soon started training mixed martial arts (MMA) together.

Amateur mixed martial arts career

On 17 February 2007, at the age of 18, McGregor made his mixed martial arts debut in an amateur fight against Kieran Campbell for the Irish Ring of Truth promotion in Dublin. He won via technical knockout (TKO) in the first round. Following the fight, he turned professional and was signed by the Irish Cage of Truth promotion. In 2008, McGregor began training at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin under John Kavanagh.

Professional mixed martial arts career

Early career (2008–2013)

On 9 March 2008, McGregor had his first professional MMA bout, as a lightweight, defeating Gary Morris with a second-round TKO. After McGregor won his second fight against Mo Taylor, he made his featherweight debut in a loss via kneebar against submission specialist Artemij Sitenkov. After a victory at featherweight in his next bout against Stephen Bailey, McGregor contemplated a different career path before his mother contacted his coach John Kavanagh and reinvigorated him to continue pursuing mixed martial arts.

McGregor then won his next fight, also at featherweight, against Connor Dillon, before moving back to lightweight for a fight against Joseph Duffy, in which he received his second professional loss after submitting to an arm-triangle choke. Following this, during 2011 and 2012, McGregor went on an eight-fight winning streak, during which he won both the CWFC Featherweight and Lightweight championships, making him the first European professional mixed martial artist to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.

In February 2013, UFC president Dana White made a trip to Dublin, Ireland to receive a Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage from Trinity College and was inundated with requests to sign McGregor to the UFC. After a meeting with McGregor, and talking with UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, White offered him a contract days later.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2013–present)

2013

In February 2013, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that they had signed McGregor to a multi-fight contract. In joining, he became only the second fighter from Ireland to compete for the company, following team member Tom Egan.

On 6 April 2013, McGregor made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi. He won the fight by knockout in round one. The win also earned McGregor his first "Knockout of the Night" award.

McGregor was expected to face Andy Ogle on 17 August 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26, but Ogle pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by eventual UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. McGregor won the fight by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–26). Following the bout with Holloway, an MRI scan revealed that McGregor had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the bout and would require surgery, keeping him out of action for up to ten months.

2014

McGregor was expected to face Cole Miller on 19 July 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46 in his comeback bout after recovering from his ACL injury. However, Miller pulled out of the bout citing a thumb injury and was replaced by Diego Brandão. McGregor fought Brandão in front of a loud, rowdy crowd of 9,500 at The O2 in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland. The fight was officially halted by referee Leon Roberts at 4:05 of the first round. The win earned McGregor his first "Performance of the Night" award.

Prior to his next bout, McGregor met with Lorenzo Fertitta and signed a new multi-fight contract with the UFC. McGregor next faced Dustin Poirier on 27 September 2014 at UFC 178. Despite McGregor landing 9 significant strikes to Poirier's 10, he managed to secure a victory early on in the first round, by pressuring Poirier onto his back foot, before exploding with a left hook behind Poirier's ear, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in. The finish officially came at 1:46 into the first round. This marked Poirier's first UFC loss via KO/TKO, and earned McGregor his second straight "Performance of the Night" award.

2015

Championship pursuits

McGregor faced Dennis Siver on 18 January 2015 at UFC Fight Night 59. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. The victory also earned McGregor his third straight "Performance of the Night" award.

McGregor (right), Dana White (middle) and José Aldo (left) in London as part of the World Tour promoting UFC 189 in March 2015.

Interim Featherweight Championship bout

The highly anticipated bout with Aldo was announced on 30 January 2015, at the UFC 183 Q&A. McGregor declared that he was expected to face Aldo on 11 July 2015 at UFC 189 for the undisputed UFC Featherweight Championship, during the UFC's annual International Fight Week. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC, confident that the fight would exceed expectations, increased the promotional budget for the event, with company Dana White stating that "[the UFC] spent more money promoting Aldo–McGregor than any fight in UFC history."

The fight against Aldo was announced on 30 January 2015, at the UFC 183 and both McGregor and Aldo embarked on a 12-day world tour, during which eight cities in five countries were visited, including Aldo's home country of Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) and McGregor's hometown of Dublin. The tour began in Rio de Janeiro on 20 March, and completed in Dublin on 31 March. However, on 23 June, it was reported that Aldo had suffered a rib fracture and had pulled out of the bout as a consequence. McGregor remained on the card and was rescheduled to face Chad Mendes for the Interim Featherweight Championship. The official attendance for the event, 16,019, broke the record in Nevada, while the gate of $7,200,000 broke the record for a mixed martial arts event in the United States. Prior to the fight, McGregor's entrance song, "The Foggy Dew", was sung live by Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor. McGregor won the fight via TKO, winning the UFC Interim Featherweight Championship.

McGregor then took part in UFC's The Ultimate Fighter, in which he coached against Urijah Faber. Faber's team member Ryan Hall ended up winning the competition.

Featherweight Championship unification bout

On 10 August, it was announced that the event would take place on 12 December, and McGregor would face José Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship. At the weigh-ins, both McGregor and Aldo achieved the weight limit of 145 pounds. McGregor knocked out Aldo thirteen seconds into the first round with a left hook, snapping his seven-year-long WEC and UFC title reign and eighteen-fight win streak to claim the title, earning the "Performance of the Night" bonus as well. This finish marked the fastest knockout in a title bout in UFC history.

2016

First UFC loss

McGregor in 2016.

McGregor faced The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner, and former UFC Lightweight Championship challenger Nate Diaz on 5 March 2016 at UFC 196 in a welterweight bout. On 24 February 2016, a press conference was held to help promote the new main event, with both men trading insults. At the Thursday pre-fight press conference on 3 March, McGregor and Diaz engaged in a brief scuffle during a face-off, after McGregor landed a strike on Diaz's lead hand.

The fight began with combination in the first round, Diaz returned fire with two consecutive hooks, one a slap, a signature of Nate and his brother, Nick Diaz, termed the "Stockton Slap". McGregor had success with his bodywork, but Diaz began to land combinations of his own. After a one-two punches from Diaz, McGregor attempted a double leg takedown, which Diaz defended by sprawling. Diaz then threatened the guillotine choke, which forced McGregor onto his back after stopping McGregor from scrambling and Diaz secured the mount and secured a rear naked choke. McGregor tapped to the submission at 4:12 into the second round. Both competitors were awarded "Fight of the Night" bonuses, and McGregor received the highest disclosed purse of any fighter in the history of the company to that point, at $1,000,000. McGregor was critical of his own performance while praising Diaz, saying "I was inefficient with my energy. It was a battle of energy and he got the better of that."

Rematch with Nate Diaz

A rematch with Diaz was scheduled for 9 July at UFC 200; however, on 19 April, the UFC announced that McGregor had been pulled from the event after failing to fulfil media obligations related to the fight. In turn, the fight with McGregor was rescheduled and took place the following month, contested again at welterweight, at UFC 202. McGregor won the rematch via majority decision (48–47, 47–47, and 48–47). The bout was once again awarded "Fight of the Night" honours. The event broke the record previously held by UFC 100 for the highest selling pay-per-view in UFC history, with 1,650,000 buys.

Two-division champion

On 27 September, it was officially announced that McGregor's next bout would be against Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship on 12 November at UFC 205. After dropping Alvarez multiple times throughout the first round, McGregor landed a multiple-punch combination to stop his opponent via technical knockout in the second round. This result marked the first time a competitor had held UFC championships in two different weight classes, and also repeated McGregor's feat during his career at Cage Warriors. This win earned him the "Performance of the Night", and it is widely considered one of McGregor's best performances inside the octagon.

Stripping of Featherweight Championship

On 26 November, due to his inactivity in the division, it was initially announced that McGregor had vacated the Featherweight Championship, therefore promoting José Aldo to undisputed champion. McGregor's coach, however, confirmed further reports which stated that McGregor had actually been stripped of the title.

2017

After winning the lightweight championship at UFC 205, McGregor announced he would take time off from the UFC to wait for the birth of his first child due in 2017. McGregor spent the majority of his public appearances in early-2017 campaigning for a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. After months of negotiations, the two finally came to terms on 14 June 2017 and announced the match to take place on 26 August. The match ultimately ended in the 10th round with a victory by TKO for Mayweather.

2018

After the conclusion of UFC 223 on 7 April, McGregor was stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship due to inactivity and Khabib Nurmagomedov was crowned the undisputed champion after defeating Al Iaquinta at the event.

On 3 August, it was announced that McGregor would return to the octagon for the first time since November 2016 at UFC 229 to challenge the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship on 6 October. This bout was considered one of the biggest contests in the history of the sport and it was filled with pre-fight hype. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor with a neck crank in the fourth round.

2019

On 26 March 2019, McGregor announced his retirement on social media. However, Dana White viewed this announcement as a ploy to secure an ownership stake in the company, with White later suggesting his retirement would not last and that he had been in regular contact with him and stated he would fight again in the future. McGregor had previously tweeted that he wanted a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov and that he would see him in the Octagon.

2020

After over a year away from the Octagon, McGregor faced Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout on 18 January 2020 at UFC 246. He won the fight via technical knockout 40 seconds into the first round. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award. The win made McGregor the first UFC fighter to hold knockout finishes in the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions. On 6 June 2020, McGregor announced once more that he was retiring from fighting.

2021

Despite talks of retirement, McGregor was booked to face former UFC Lightweight Championship challenger Dustin Poirier in a rematch of their 2014 bout at UFC 257 on 24 January 2021. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round, marking the first knockout loss in his career. McGregor was later handed a 6–month medical suspension after the knockout.

McGregor faced Dustin Poirier for a third time on 10 July 2021 at UFC 264. McGregor lost the fight via technical knockout in round one after the ringside doctor stopped the bout. McGregor had a broken tibia, which rendered him unable to continue.

2023

After the layoff nursing his leg injury, it was announced that McGregor would be coaching The Ultimate Fighter 31 for the second time, this time against Michael Chandler. They will face each other after the season, at an event yet to be determined.

Mixed martial arts fighting style

McGregor is known mostly as a striker and prefers to fight standing up, as opposed to on the ground. McGregor is left-handed and primarily fights out of the southpaw stance, but often switches to an orthodox stance. He will frequently try to be the aggressor in his bouts. McGregor's boxing is typically considered his best skill, with the majority of his victories coming by way of knockout or technical knockout via punches. Many pundits cite McGregor's pull-back left-handed counter as his most dangerous strike.

McGregor's signature style off arena is to repeatedly engage in trash talk and "psychological warfare" against his opponents, which has led to earning him the moniker 'The Notorious' and has brought comparisons with Muhammad Ali, whom McGregor cites as one of his early inspirations. After Ali died in June 2016, McGregor opined that "nobody will ever come close to [Ali's] greatness". McGregor has also cited Bruce Lee as an inspiration, and compared himself to Lee. During the buildup to his bout against Donald Cerrone and the rematch against Dustin Poirier, McGregor was respectful towards his opponents and refrained from trash talking. However, McGregor heavily used trash talk in the build up to his trilogy fight with Poirier.

Professional boxing career

McGregor vs. Mayweather Jr.

On 14 June 2017, it was announced that McGregor would compete in his first professional boxing match against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., on 26 August 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The fight was broadcast on Showtime PPV in the US and Sky Sports Box Office in the UK. The bout was contested at super welterweight (154 pounds) with 8 oz. gloves. The fight was expected to be the richest in boxing history.

On 24 August 2017, it was announced that Mayweather and McGregor would compete for the WBC Money Belt. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Mayweather would earn a guaranteed purse of $100 million and McGregor was guaranteed $30 million. The match resulted in Mayweather winning via TKO in the 10th round, with the scorecards reading 87–83, 89–82, and 89–81, all in favour of Mayweather. The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced the live gate for the event was $55,414,865.79 from 13,094 tickets sold. Given the success in pay-per-views, Mayweather reportedly earned around $280 million overall, while McGregor came out with earning $130 million.

Personal life

McGregor has two sisters named Erin and Aoife. He has been in a relationship with his fiancée, Dee Devlin, since 2008. They have four children.

McGregor often trains at the Mjölnir gym in Reykjavík, alongside fellow UFC fighter Gunnar Nelson. He has stated that he does not adhere to any pre-fight rituals or superstitions because he believes them to be "a form of fear".

McGregor is a Catholic.

McGregor is a football fan and a supporter of both Celtic and Manchester United. He has also expressed support for Paris Saint-Germain, being a friend of Sergio Ramos.

Business ventures

Endorsements

McGregor has endorsement deals with Beats by Dre, Monster Energy, Reebok and Bud Light. As of 2017, his endorsement deals rounded up to $7 million. In early 2018, McGregor signed a deal with Burger King.

August McGregor

Just ahead of his fight with Mayweather, McGregor announced a fashion partnership with tailoring brand David August; the brand is named "August McGregor" and is aimed at providing modern men's suits to millennials. August had met McGregor about three years earlier, via Dana White.

Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey

In September 2018, McGregor launched Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey in Ireland and the United States. The whiskey is named after the Crumlin neighbourhood in Dublin 12, in which McGregor grew up.

In late 2018, McGregor said that the brand had sold "hundreds of thousands" of bottles since the launch, and plans were to restock in the United States and Ireland in December 2018. McGregor confirmed the brand will extend distribution to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and Canada in 2019. In 2021, it was reported that McGregor and his business partners sold their majority stake in the company to Proximo Spirits, who previously had a 49% stake, for a deal worth a reported $600 million.

In an August 2022 interview Artem Lobov alleged that McGregor was initially headed towards creating a vodka product, but it was Lobov who pitched the idea of doing a whiskey instead. In the same interview, Lobov also stated that he was the one who did the background study and conducted business deals for the product. In late November 2022, news surfaced that Lobov had sued McGregor, seeking 5 percent of the proceeds of the $600 million deal conducted in 2021. Following the suing, McGregor aimed several social media messages at Lobov, who subsequently filed another lawsuit against McGregor for defamation, intimidation and harassment. In January 2023, the latter lawsuit was denied by the judge and Lobov was ordered to pay the legal fees.

Black Forge Inn

In 2020, McGregor purchased a pub in South Dublin, renaming it to the Black Forge Inn. In 2022, the Black Forge Inn was targeted by petrol bombs.

In 2021, McGregor purchased an additional pub, the Marble Arch, located in Dublin. McGregor had previously assaulted a man at the Marble Arch on 6 April 2019.

Acting

In 2022, Conor McGregor was cast along with the actor Jake Gyllenhaal in a remake of the 1989 movie Road House.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Interim UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  • UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  • UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
  • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Nate Diaz (2)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Marcus Brimage
  • Performance of the Night (Seven times) vs. Diego Brandão, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver, Chad Mendes, José Aldo, Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone
    • Tied (Donald Cerrone & Ovince Saint Preux) for third most Performance of the Night awards in UFC history (7)
    • Most consecutive Performance of the Night awards in UFC history (5)
    • Most consecutive post-fight bonuses in UFC history (8)
  • First Irish-born UFC champion
  • Third Multi-Divisional Champion in UFC History (Featherweight, Lightweight)
  • First simultaneous multi-divisional champion in UFC history (Featherweight, Lightweight)
  • Fastest win in a UFC Championship fight (13 seconds) vs. José Aldo
  • Fastest finish in a UFC Championship fight (13 seconds) vs. José Aldo
  • Most knockdowns-per-fifteen minutes in UFC Featherweight division history (2.31)
  • Tied (Cub Swanson & Chad Mendes) for second most knockouts in UFC Featherweight division history (6)
• Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
  • CWFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  • CWFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
• Bleacher Report
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 Fight of the Year vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 202
• ESPN
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
• ESPYs
  • 2016 Best Fighter
• Fight Matrix
  • Lineal Featherweight Championship (one time)
• Fox Sports
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 Fight of the Year vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 202
• MMA Fighting
  • 2015 Event of the Year headlined at UFC 189
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
• MMA Junkie
  • 2015 December Knockout of the Month vs. José Aldo
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 March Fight of the Month vs. Nate Diaz
  • 2016 August Fight of the Month vs. Nate Diaz
• MMA Insider
  • 2013 Best UFC Newcomer
• MMA Mania
  • 2015 Event of the Year headlined at UFC 189
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
• RTÉ Sport
  • 2016 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
• Rolling Stone
• Severe MMA
  • 2014 Irish Pro Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 Irish Pro Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
• Sherdog
  • 2014 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 Event of the Year headlined at UFC 194
  • 2015 Knockout of the Year vs. José Aldo
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 Fighter of the Year
• The MMA Community
  • 2015 Male Fighter of the Year
• Time
  • 2017 Top 100 Most Influential People inclusion
• VIP Style Awards
  • 2015 Ireland's Most Stylish Man
• World MMA Awards
  • 2014 International Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 International Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 Fighter of the Year
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 Best Box Office Draw
  • 2015, 2016 and 2017 Best on Interviews
  • 2015 Feud of the Year vs. José Aldo
  • 2016 Feud of the Year vs. Nate Diaz
  • 2016 and 2018 Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable
  • 2016 Most Charismatic
  • 2015 and 2016 Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year

Pay-per-view bouts

Mixed martial arts

Boxing

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Mixed martial arts record

Amateur mixed martial arts record

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

See also

In Spanish: Conor McGregor para niños

• Khabib Nurmagomedov
• List of current UFC fighters
• List of Irish UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists
• Ultimate Fighting Championship rankings