Who hasn’t heard “The Notorious” or “Mystic Mac” alias among Mixed Martial Arts fans? Even regular people who are not that interested in this combat sport may have overheard or overseen his name as he made few headlines in recent years, but where is Conor McGregor now, and where does he stand at this point after series of controversies and loss?
McGregor is known for his antics and crazy pre-fight trash talks against his opponents, but more to that, he sure has the skill to back his mouth as he proved it by dominating the sports’ highlight reel through his action-packed fights and colossal knockouts.
His career in MMA (mixed martial arts) had arguably made the most significant contribution to the massive attention and entertainment in the sport. Many adored this fighter from Dublin Ireland as well for his life’s story as it fits the rugs to rich category perfectly.
The Monumental Fight
McGregor’s career ran on full steam ahead of the stardom, he entered the sport in 2013 and quickly gained popularity and a superstar emblem as he stormed every opponent he faced in the octagon.
Then comes the fight that many have anticipated to be full of action and excitement, the fight McGregor longingly ask to solidify his claim as the king of the UFC against the reigning and longest champion Jose Aldo in 2015.
At the time, Aldo is not just an ordinary champion but the most feared on the division for being unbeaten for ten long years, many have predicted that the fight must be McGregor’s toughest challenge of his career.
Despite the tremendous resume of Aldo, McGregor made a bold prediction ahead of the fight — a single-round victory, and he once again shocked many for making this prediction come true in only 13 seconds. This astonishing KO victory not only made him the champion, but it also fortified his “Mystic Mac” claim.
The Fall and Rise
As they say, what comes up must come down, McGregor seems to be invisible at that time after he has easily beaten a tremendous former champion on a ferocious and emphatic finish. McGregor expressed his intention to be a simultaneous champion on three different divisions including the 155 and 170 pounds territory. Some speculators have said that his previous win may have brought him over his head for this ambition, but he went up and took a fight on a lightweight division.
McGregor tasted his first defeat in his UFC career against a taller and natural lightweight fighter Nate Diaz in the second round after McGregor tapped out from a rear-naked chock submission and officially ending his 15 winning streaks.
Five months later, as promised McGregor came back with a vengeance as the two fighters emerged again on a highly anticipated rematch. The fight went on to a scorecard as both fighters traded a high volume of punches, McGregor crowned as the winner after a bloody rematch.
At the end of that year, McGregor made history in UFC for holding two belts in two different divisions after he beats the defending champion of the lightweight division (Eddie Alvarez) via second-round technical knockout.
Conor McGregor path in UFC
On the following year after his busy calender of 2016, McGregor announced a break from the sport as he anticipates the birth of his first child. Later on that year, he made a surprising comeback as he entered and challenged the undefeated and reigning pound for pound champion of boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. where he lost via technical KO on the 10th round.
Due to inactivity, the UFC stripped his belts from featherweight and lightweight division, but in August 2018 he made a comeback against the current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The fight ended up with a lot of controversies from both pre and post fights. It was an exciting match as anticipated, but McGregor lost on fourth-round submission by the defending champion.
Many UFC fans were anticipating the odds for a rematch as McGregor is set to prove himself again after an almost similar lost from his first meeting with Nate Diaz. However, McGregor announced his controversial retirement on Social Media due to company share dispute, which he has been demanding ever since.
Although McGregor hasn’t won any fights since his fight with Alvarez in November 2016 and despite his two consecutive losses and announcement of his retirement in early 2019. It’s been a while since McGregor last shook up UFC predictions and fans, which you can read more about here. For now, everyone anticipates his return due to his unfinished business with Diaz and Khabib. UFC fight fans can expect the king to try regaining his throne and prove himself again as the flag bearer of the sport anytime soon as McGregor previously tweeted “Book My Rematch for Moscow” right after Khabib’s recent successful title defense at UFC 242.
