The Irish Megastar, Notorious Conor McGregor was born on 14 July 1988 in Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland. Conor McGregor throughout his MMA career has achieved tremendous things in his life. From titles and money to unmatched fame, Conor has done it all. McGregor is still the most popular and highest-paid fighter in the UFC. So, if he has done it all, could we consider Conor McGregor the GOAT of MMA? Let’s find out.

Conor McGregor Pre UFC Career

At the age of 18, Conor McGregor made his mixed martial arts debut against Kieran Campbell for the Irish Ring of Truth Promotion in Dublin on February 17, 2008. Conor won that fight via technical knockout (TKO) in the very first round.

After his first fight, Conor McGregor turned professional and was signed by the Irish Cage of Truth Promotion. Conor started training under his favorite coach John Kavanagh at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin. John Kavanagh was also amazed and impressed with Conor’s skills and movement.

Here is the list of Conor McGregor’s opponents before UFC and their fight results (Professional MMA Career)

Fights	Result	Date and Event
Conor McGregor VS Gary Morris	Win (Round 2) via TKO	COT 2 – Cage of Truth O8/03/2008
Conor McGregor VS Mo Taylor	Win (Round 1) via TKO	Cage Rage 03/05/2008
Conor McGregor VS Artemij Sitenkov	Loss (Round 1) via Submission (kneebar)	COT 3 – Cage of Truth 28/06/2008
Conor McGregor VS Stephen Bailey	Win (Round 1) via TKO	K.O. – The Fight Before Christmas 1 12/12/2008
Conor McGregor VS Connor Dillon	Win (Round 1) via TKO	CFC – Chaos Fighting Championships 7
Conor McGregor VS Joseph Duffy	Loss (Round 1) via Submission (Arm-triangle Choke)	CWFC 39 – The Uprising 27/11/2010
Conor McGregor VS Hugh Brady	Win (Round 1) via TKO	CFC – Chaos Fighting Championships 8 12/02/2011
Conor McGregor VS Mike Wood	Win (Round 1) via KO	CC 8 – Fields vs Redmond 12/03/2011
Conor McGregor VS Paddy Doherty	Win (Round 1) via KO	IFC – 4 16/04/2011
Conor McGregor VS Artur Sowinski	Win (Round 2) via TKO	CG 2 – Clash of the Giants 11/06/2011
Conor McGregor VS Aaron Jahsen	Win (Round 1) via TKO	CWFC – Fight Night 2 08/09/2011
Conor McGregor VS Steve O’Keefe	Win (Round 1) via KO	CWFC 45 18/02/2012
Conor McGregor VS Dave Hill	Win (Round 2) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)	CWFC 47 02/06/2012
Conor McGregor VS Ivan Buchinger	Win (Round 1) via KO	CWFC 51 31/12/2012

Conor McGregor won the Featherweight Championship against Dave Hill and then won the Lightweight Championship against Ivan Buchinger in Cage Warriors. Conor McGregor became the first European professional mixed martial artist to hold titles in two divisions (Featherweight and Lightweight) simultaneously.

Conor McGregor’s Road to UFC

It was Dana White who opened the gates for Conor in the UFC. UFC President Dana White made a trip to Dublin, Ireland in February 2013 to receive a Gold medal of Honorary Patronage from Trinity College. While he was in Dublin, Ireland, Dana White was flooded with requests to sign Conor McGregor to UFC. After seeing the craze of Conor McGregor among Irish people, Dana White held a meeting with Conor. Then, after talking with Conor and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana offered Conor a UFC contract days later.

Here is the list of Conor McGregor’s opponents in UFC and their fight results.

Fights	Result	Date and Event
Conor McGregor VS Marcus Brimage	Win (Round 1) via TKO	UFC on Fuel TV 9 – Mousasi vs. Latifi 06/04/2013
Conor McGregor VS Max Holloway	Win (Round 3) via Unanimous decision	UFC Fight Night 26 – Shogun vs. Sonnen 17/08/2013
Conor McGregor VS Diego Brandao	Win (Round 1) via TKO	UFC Fight Night 46 – McGregor vs. Brandao 19/07/2014
Conor McGregor VS Dustin Poirier	Win (Round 1) via TKO	UFC 178 – Johnson vs. Cariaso 27/09/2014
Conor McGregor VS Dennis Silver	Win (Round 2) via TKO	UFC Fight Night 59 – McGregor vs. Siver 18/01/2015
Conor McGregor VS Chad Mendes	Win (Round 2) via TKO	UFC 189 – Mendes vs. McGregor 11/07/2015
Conor McGregor VS Jose Aldo	Win (Round 1) via KO	UFC 194 – Aldo vs. McGregor 12/12/2015
Conor McGregor VS Nate Diaz	Loss (Round 2) via Submission ( Rear-Naked Choke)	UFC 196 – McGregor vs. Diaz 05/03/2016
Conor McGregor VS Nate Diaz 2	Win (Round 5) via Majority Decision	UFC 202 – Diaz vs. McGregor 2 20/08/2016
Conor McGregor VS Eddie Alvarez	Win (Round 2) via TKO	UFC 205 – Alvarez vs. McGregor 12/11/2016
Conor McGregor VS Khabib Nurmagomedov	Loss (Round 4) via Submission (Neck Crank)	UFC 229 – Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor 06/10/2018
Conor McGregor VS Donald Cerrone	Win (Round 1) via TKO	UFC 246 – McGregor vs. Cerrone 18/01/2020
Conor McGregor VS Dustin Poirier 2	Loss (Round 2) via KO	UFC 257 – Poirier vs. McGregor 2 23/01/2021
Conor McGregor VS Dustin Poirier 3	Loss (Round 1) via TKO (Leg injury)	UFC 264 – Poirier vs. McGregor 3 10/07/2021

Conor McGregor became the UFC Interim Featherweight Champion by defeating Chad Mendes and then became the UFC Undisputed Featherweight Champion by defeating Jose Aldo in only 13 seconds of Round 1. Being the Featherweight Champion, Conor defeated Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez via TKO in round 2 and created history by becoming the first ever UFC fighter to hold titles in two weight classes (Featherweight and Lightweight) simultaneously. Conor was the first Champ-Champ in UFC history.

What makes Conor McGregor the GOAT and Different from other fighters?

1. Conor McGregor’s Trash Talk

Conor McGregor is known for his extraordinary ability to trash talk. Conor McGregor’s one-liners always make the headlines. Conor is known for his witty humor and outstanding comebacks during fight press conferences and Twitter arguments. He might get himself into controversies sometimes because of his trash talk but he is smart enough to deal with its consequences also. Many consider Conor McGregor the GOAT of trash-talking in UFC.

2. Conor McGregor’s Fighting Skills

Trash talk is good for fighting business and building hype but it means nothing if uh cannot back it up. McGregor is known for backing up his trash talk. Conor talks the talk and walks the walk. McGregor’s fighting skills are extraordinary. Conor’s MMA record is 22-6, in which 19 of his victories are via Knockouts.

3. Pay-Per-View King

Conor McGregor is the Pay-Per-View King of the UFC. He holds the record of the top 5 biggest Pay-per-view events in UFC history. The below table proves Conor McGregor the GOAT of Pay-Per-View buys.

Event	Pay-Per-View Buys
UFC 229: McGregor vs. Khabib	2,400,000
UFC 257: McGregor vs. Poirier II	1,600,000
UFC 202: McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II	1,600,000
UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poirier III	1,504,737
UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone	1,353,429

4. Conor McGregor’s Net Worth

Conor McGregor is the richest UFC fighter with a net worth of $200 Million approx. At present, Conor takes $30 Million just to show up for a fight. Apart from that, he takes a share from Pay-Per-View Buys as well. Net Worth of Conor which is more than any other UFC fighter definitely makes Conor McGregor the GOAT in terms of Net Worth.

5. Unmatched Charisma

There were many fighters before Conor McGregor who was good at trash-talking for example Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, etc who were also good at fighting, and even now Colby Covington, Masvidal, etc who are good at both but Conor McGregor’s Charisma is something else, it’s unmatched. There is nothing like Conor McGregor’s fight build-up. Many consider Conor McGregor the GOAT in Charisma as well

8 Conor McGregor Records that are not going to break anytime soon

• McGregor was the first European professional mixed martial artist to hold titles in two divisions (Featherweight and Lightweight) simultaneously.
• McGregor holds the record for the fastest KO victory (13 seconds) in a title fight against then-featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
• Conor holds the record of KO victories across three different weight classes i.e Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight.
• McGregor holds the record for Highest-selling UFC pay-per-views i.e 2.4 Million buys in his fight against Khabib.
• McGregor is the only UFC fighter ever to be ranked as the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021.
• Conor holds the record of second highest selling Pay-Per-View Buys i.e 4.3 Million in his first and only boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Conor McGregor’s Next UFC Fight?

Conor McGregor’s next UFC fight is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2023. Fans around the world are super excited about the return of the Notorious Conor McGregor back in the UFC octagon. Conor has been out of action because of the horrific leg break during the first round of his trilogy fight with Poirier at UFC 264.

Conor McGregor’s Upcoming movie Road House

The Irish Megastar Notorious Conor McGregor is currently working on his upcoming movie Road House. With Road House, Conor is making his Film debut and thus expanding his career to the Film line also. Conor McGregor will join Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal in this movie.

Is Conor McGregor The GOAT of UFC?

After all the things, Conor McGregor has done and achieved inside and outside of the UFC, it can be said that Conor McGregor is definitely a Once in a lifetime kind of athlete. Conor McGregor has really transcended the Sport in his own way. So, in fight records or title defenses, Conor may or may not come in the GOAT list like Jon Jones, GSP, and Anderson Silva but in overall achievements inside and outside the UFC, Conor McGregor is definitely the GOAT.

Some FAQs by the Fans