Conor McGregor: Epic Return to the Octagon After Years in the Shadows?

The Rise and Fall of Conor McGregor: A Detailed Analysis

The iconic image of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor facing each other, captured by Esther Lin’s lens on July 12, 2017, marked a turning point in the history of combat sports. This encounter, part of the promotional tour for their boxing match on August 26, 2017, promised an epic battle that would transcend the sporting realm. McGregor, impeccably dressed in a blue suit, challenged Mayweather. The boxer, in a more casual outfit and adorned with jewelry, responded to his Irish opponent. The crowd, a mix of Mayweather fans and McGregor supporters, anticipated an unprecedented event. The energy in Toronto was palpable, with Irish flags and McGregor support signs predominating among the crowd. This moment solidified McGregor as one of the biggest attractions in combat sports and a global superstar. However, what began as a promotional tour between two sports giants soon turned into a spectacle of provocations and verbal conflicts, where McGregor showed his worst side. The friendly atmosphere dissipated, giving way to comments with racist and homophobic undertones.

While Mayweather was accustomed to this type of attention, McGregor, after earning $24,000 for defeating Max Holloway, was entering unknown territory as a celebrity. According to Esther Lin, a photographer who has closely followed both fighters, McGregor embraced his growing popularity during the tour, knowing how to capitalize on it.

A month later, Mayweather defeated McGregor by technical knockout in the tenth round. Despite the defeat, McGregor received a guaranteed purse of $30 million, which, including revenue from pay-per-view, sponsorships, and merchandise, exceeded $100 million. The live box office, estimated at $55.5 million, became the second largest in boxing history, although the 4.3 million pay-per-view purchases did not reach the 4.6 million generated by the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. This payment of $130 million far exceeded the $6.8 million McGregor had previously earned for his victory in the UFC lightweight championship against Eddie Alvarez. Dana White, UFC president, understood that the McGregor of yesteryear no longer existed.

“Conor might never fight again. The guy has $100 million. I have people who earned less than that, who were lawyers and went to school all their lives and stopped working… Try getting up every day and getting punched in the face when you have $100 million in the bank. Money changes everything.”

Dana White

Since that night in the boxing ring against Mayweather, McGregor has pursued the professional and economic successes he achieved. However, what has happened since 2017 includes a single victory in the UFC and numerous setbacks, such as arrests, injuries, lawsuits, and accusations of sexual assault.

• November 10, 2017: McGregor returns to MMA to support his SBG Ireland teammate Charlie Ward at Bellator 187 in Dublin. McGregor jumped into the cage to celebrate Ward’s victory before the fight was over and was involved in a scuffle.
• March 2, 2018: Dana White announces his intention to strip McGregor of his lightweight title due to his inactivity. The plan is to award the title to the winner of the scheduled fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson on April 7. Ferguson withdrew from the fight on April 1 due to an injury and was replaced at short notice by Al Iaquinta.
• April 5, 2018: Following the UFC 223 media day, McGregor and a dozen men stormed the loading dock of the Barclays Center in search of Nurmagomedov, who had slapped McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov earlier in the week. McGregor threw a metal dolly at a bus carrying UFC fighters, including Nurmagomedov. The dolly broke a window and the fragments injured Michael Chiesa, Ray Borg, and Brandon Moreno. McGregor turned himself in to the New York police and was charged with three counts of assault and criminal mischief. White called the incident “the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”

On August 3, 2018, it was announced that McGregor would end his inactivity of almost two years in MMA and challenge Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 229 on October 6, 2018. Despite concerns about McGregor’s behavior, White, less than a year after McGregor’s lucrative fight with Mayweather, was now mocking the idea that McGregor’s desire to be the best fighter in the world had weakened. The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagomedov intensified, crossing religious and cultural lines. McGregor, at a pre-fight press conference, arrived late, provoking Nurmagomedov and generating a tense atmosphere. Nurmagomedov, visibly annoyed, responded to McGregor’s provocations, making it clear that this fight was personal. The showdown in the octagon at UFC 229 culminated with Nurmagomedov submitting McGregor in the fourth round. Following the fight, a massive brawl ensued involving both teams. McGregor was fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Although the event was marked by controversy, it solidified McGregor as the UFC’s biggest star, setting attendance and earnings records.

“He had a dream in his life to become something. He became a champion and then came with all the other things. That distraction, it draws you in, it attracts you, it takes you away from what you wanted to be in the first place. The fight with Khabib was a kick in the ass and he deserved it. There is nothing good in any of that. All that anger and the press conference and the incident after the fight. There are no winners in any of that, that’s just hate”.

Colin Byrne, McGregor’s coach

• September 11, 2018: Michael Chiesa sues McGregor for an undisclosed amount following the UFC 223 bus attack, citing “serious personal, economic and other injuries” and “severe emotional distress, mental trauma and/or bodily harm” in court documents filed with the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn, New York.
• March 11, 2019: McGregor is arrested and charged with armed robbery and vandalism after attacking a fan in Miami who tried to take a photo of McGregor with a cell phone. The charges and a subsequent civil lawsuit were dropped.
• March 26, 2019: The New York Times reports that McGregor is being investigated for allegations of sexual assault at a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Shortly after the report, McGregor announced his retirement from MMA. This is the second time he has “retired” from MMA on social media.
• August 15, 2019: TMZ releases a video from April of McGregor punching Desmond Keogh, 50, at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin.
• October 11, 2019: McGregor appears in court on assault charges from The Marble Arch Pub incident.
• November 1, 2019: McGregor pleads guilty to assault stemming from the April attack on Keogh and is fined $1,000.

On November 28, 2019, the UFC announced McGregor’s return to the octagon at UFC 246 on January 18 for a welterweight fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, ending a 15-month hiatus since his defeat to Nurmagomedov. White commented that McGregor was in line for a rematch with Nurmagomedov if he defeated Cerrone. The preparation for this fight contrasted with his fights against Nurmagomedov and Mayweather, showing a civil and laudatory McGregor towards his opponent. During the week of the fight, McGregor continued to praise his rival.

McGregor delivered one of his best performances, defeating Cerrone in 40 seconds. This was his last victory in the octagon to date. White was eager to organize a fight with the winner of the lightweight title fight between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the plans of the UFC and the fight world. McGregor’s future was up in the air, and he was forced to wait for the world to recover. White organized a rematch between McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The two had previously faced each other at UFC 178 in 2014, with a TKO victory for McGregor.

Once again, McGregor’s tone was positive towards his opponent. However, Poirier got his revenge, knocking out McGregor in the second round. McGregor blamed inactivity for the defeat, as it was his second fight since 2018.

• June 7, 2020: McGregor retires… again. Although the UFC has managed to get back to work by organizing events, albeit without fans, there is no clarity on when McGregor will return to action.
• September 10, 2020: McGregor is arrested on the French island of Corsica on suspicion of sexual assault and indecent exposure for an alleged incident in a bar. He is released without charges two days later.

After the knockout defeat to Poirier, criticism questioned whether this new, kinder version of McGregor had lost the desire to compete at the highest level. The public wanted the old McGregor back.

“Most people struggle to get out of the financial burdens they are going through. Conor has done that. Most normal people would say, ‘I’ve made all my money and there’s no real need to fight again. But I think the difference with Conor is that he wants to prove to himself more that he is the baddest man on the planet”.

Owen Roddy, McGregor’s striking coach

On April 2, 2021, a third fight between McGregor and Poirier was scheduled for UFC 264 on July 10. The rivalry intensified, with McGregor hurling insults at Poirier and his wife. But that anger had little effect on Poirier. McGregor suffered a tibia fracture and lost by TKO. Considering that Poirier was in control until the end, many believed that McGregor’s best years were behind him, as it was the first time he had lost consecutive fights in his career.

• July 11, 2021: McGregor undergoes surgery for his fractured tibia and fibula.
• September 12, 2021: McGregor gets into a fight with rapper Machine Gun Kelly on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards.
• October 16, 2021: Italian musician and television presenter Francesco Facchinetti claims that McGregor punched him in a nightclub in Rome.
• November 22, 2021: McGregor says on social media that he is fighting for the lightweight title before Charles Oliveira’s title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11.
• January 12, 2022: McGregor’s pub, The Black Forge Inn, is attacked with Molotov cocktails. There were no injuries or property damage.
• March 18, 2022: McGregor turns his attention to welterweight and challenges Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title.
• March 22, 2022: McGregor is arrested in Dublin for six traffic offenses (including two counts of dangerous driving) and his Bentley is confiscated by the police. He is later released on bail.

Despite McGregor’s consecutive defeats, the financial appeal of facing the Irishman ensures that he will not lack opponents if he returns to action. Michael Chandler caught McGregor’s attention. Chandler signed with the UFC in September 2020 and made a name for himself with a series of exciting performances. After calling for fights with Gaethje and then-lightweight champion Oliveira during his post-fight interview, Chandler expressed his interest in facing McGregor. McGregor responded on social media, considering the idea of a fight between the two. On February 4, 2023, the UFC announced that McGregor and Chandler would be coaches on season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter”. There is optimism that McGregor will return to the UFC after filming. Conor McGregor’s story is a complex narrative of successes and failures, showing the fragility of fame and the impact of money in sports. The question about his return to the octagon remains open, as does the path he will take in the future.