While Conor McGregor is a champion fighter, he has faced a series of ups and downs inside and outside the Octagon.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star began his impressive mixed martial career in 2008 and was signed to the professional league in 2013. Throughout his reign in the UFC, McGregor has garnered a string of accolades, including UFC Featherweight Championship, UFC Lightweight Championship, Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and more.
Three years after his debut, McGregor lost his first match against his challenger Nate Diaz in March 2016. A month after the loss, McGregor announced that he had decided to retire from fighting.
“I decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese,” he wrote via Twitter in April 2016. “Catch ya’s later.”
However, his retirement did not last long. Four months later, McGregor revealed he was returning to the sport to face Diaz in a rematch. He beat his rival in August 2016. McGregor continued to make waves and decided the following year he wanted to challenge the boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.. to a game. Their August 2017 clash was billed as “the greatest fight in combat sports history”. The fighters fought for ten rounds before Mayweather Jr. was declared the winner.
McGregor decided to retire a second time in March 2019 but reversed his decision the following year to compete in a match against Donald Cerrone. Following his victory over Cerrone, McGregor announced in June 2020 that he would be retiring for the third time. Two months later, McGregor proposed to his longtime girlfriend Dee Delvin after 12 years of relationship. (The couple share three children: sons Conor Jr. and Rian, and daughter Croia Mairead.)
The following year, McGregor made headlines after falling out with Machine Gun Kelly at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards after the rapper allegedly denied taking a photo with the mixed martial artist. McGregor’s rep has refuted claims that We Weekly in September 2021.
“It is totally false. [There was] no photo request,” the spokesperson said. We at the time, noting that Kelly “watched Conor’s last fight” and that McGregor “appreciates all of his fans.”
Two years after the drama with Kelly, McGregor found himself in hot water again. In June 2023, he was accused of raping a woman in Miami while attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Letters of formal notice obtained by We at the time, the woman’s lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, alleged that the MMA fighter sexually assaulted her “violently” in the men’s room. A representative for McGregor released a statement to TMZ refuting the allegations. At the time of the charges, McGregor and his fiancee announced they were expecting their fourth child.
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