10 Things You Didn't Know About Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor might just be the UFC's answer to Floyd Mayweather.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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It's almost judgment day for Conor McGregor. Ireland's MMA sensation will face the toughest test of his sensational career at UFC 189 in Las Vegas this weekend, as he steps into the Octagon to fight Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title.

Since making his debut for Dana White's promotion in April 2013, McGregor has become the most talked about cage fighter on the planet with his effortless blend of headline-chasing sound bites and devastating punching power. He's basically MMA's answer to Floyd Mayweather. Here are 10 Things You Didn't Know About Conor McGregor.

Dana White has called him “bigger than Brock Lesnar."

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Ever since Brock Lesnar prematurely ended his MMA career as a result of a long-term stomach injury, UFC president Dana White has been looking for a larger-than-life cashcow.

Conor McGregor has already begun to crossover into mainstream cultural consciousness and when the fighting Irishman knocked out Dustin Poirier in just one round at UFC 178, White saw dollar signs:


"Conor McGregor is the real deal—he is legit. He is a force that I have never seen ever. Bigger than Brock Lesnar when he was here. Bigger than any of the fighters we’ve ever had. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

There's only one male fighter in the UFC ranks who can challenge McGregor's domination of column inches and he hasn't even fought yet. Step forward, CM Punk

He's the first Irishman to get a win in UFC.

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He served an apprenticeship as a plumber.

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Before becoming next-in-line to the UFC featherweight throne, McGregor briefly served an apprenticeship as a plumber—it's a far cry from headlining events at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow, McGregor's dad told the story of the moment he knew his son was destined for greater things:


"I remember the moment I knew he wasn't going to be a plumber. It was a Monday morning, I went in to wake him up and I just remember him peering out from under his blanket and saying, ‘Look, this isn't for me'.


I knew I wasn't going to get him to go back to the building site then and I just figured there was no point in fighting it. I just closed the door behind me and left him to his own devices. Little did I know he was probably thinking about his career in the UFC."

 

He once thought about becoming a professional football player.

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He holds the record for the second-fastest KO in MMA history.

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He collected a $200 welfare check just one week before his UFC debut.

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Plumbing didn't really work out for Conor and prior to his UFC debut—where he collected $60,000—McGregor was collecting $200 from Ireland's welfare state.

After his first-round win in his first ever UFC fight in Sweden, McGregor said:


"To be honest, I don't know what's going on here, I'm just up here hearing $60,000. I'm just thinking of what I'm going to spend it on. Maybe a nice car and some suits or something, some custom-made suits. I don't know. ... I'm making money here, I didn't have money before this, you know. Like I said, I was collecting 180 Euros a week off the social welfare and here I am and I've got 60 G's bonus and my own pay."

It's a certified rags to riches story. 

He idolizes Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee.

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He's convinced he would beat Floyd Mayweather within 30 seconds.

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The age-old debate about who'd win a fight between a UFC king and a boxing world champion has been had for so long that most of us have lost all hope of ever actually finding out. At least until Conor McGregor opened his mouth against Floyd Mayweather.

Recently appearing on Conan O'Brien, McGregor called out of Floyd for a second time and even said he'd get in the boxing ring with him:


"If you're asking would I like to fight Floyd Mayweather—I mean, who would not like to dance around the ring for $180 million?


I certainly know he would not want to step into my world. The world of pure unarmed combat where there's no limitations, but I most certainly would step into his world. I would certainly box him if the opportunity arose. Most certainly." 

Dana White signed him to UFC without ever seeing him fight.

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Two years ago, Dana White accepted an award from Trinity College in Dublin. While in the Irish capital, White was bombarded by MMA fans who were telling him about an unknown Irish sensation that was destined for greatness in the UFC: Conor McGregor.

White heard so much about McGregor that on his return to the United States, he asked his matchmakers to do some research on the kid. Still curious, White flew McGregor to the desert and took him on a cruise in his Ferrari. He signed him soon after, without ever seeing him fight.

Speaking to Esquire, White said:


"He's a penny stock that couldn't have worked out better. He's one in a million. He has that thing that you can't teach people, whatever it is that makes people gravitate toward you. He has that more than any fighter I've ever met. He makes you believe everything he believes."

He's earned enough money to help his dad retire.

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McGregor is a hero in Dublin—and that's for his character as much as his skills in the Octagon.

One of the first things McGregor did with his new found riches was ensure his parents had enough money so they never had to work again.

In an interview with Men's Health, McGregor said:


"Now he doesn't have to work, so it's a beautiful thing to give back to my family. That's all I really want. That's what I do this for, to secure my family's future. I don't care about anything else. I'm able to spoil people and that's the best thing."

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