On the 6th of October, Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon after an almost two-year absence to face Khabib Nurmagomedov and reclaim his UFC Lightweight title. Tickets for the event, to be held in Vegas, sold out almost immediately. Within three minutes, it was already the second-largest event in MMA history, and if Dana White is to be believed (which he isn’t), the Pay-Per-View figures are already looking like they will top $225 million. Only one man can do this. The same man who holds the whole of the UFC in the palm of his hand: Conor McGregor. So what is it that makes him so special?
1. Style
Say what you like about him, he’s got style. He was rocking the three-piece long before Gareth Southgate and has his own fashion label in partnership with designer David August Heil. Their line, August McGregor, has not yet been released to the public, but he’s made some interesting statements of his own. Take for example the ‘F*ck You Suit’, worn to a press conference before the Mayweather fight. Those aren’t pinstripes, it’s a not-too subtle message. He followed that look up with something a little more outlandish: a full-length embroidered Gucci mink-fur coat paired with either some brocade Gucci pants or my colour-blind Nan’s curtains from 1977. He was also wearing a red turtleneck but decided that was too plain and decided to show off his tattoos instead. But the turtleneck and fur coat ensemble has been worn before, and not just by McGregor. It’s believed that the outfit is a tribute to Smokin’ Joe Frasier, who once wore something similar. Let’s not forget the haircuts either, specifically the top-knot. The ‘McGregor Man-Bun’ was hugely popular in the weeks following his bout against Dustin Poirier.
2. Dat Left, Tho
“Nobody can take that left-hand shot. Everyone breaks and he broke.”
Thus spake McGregor after the Chad Mendez fight. Jose Aldo only took one hit, and 13 seconds later, he was out of the conversation. Eddie Alvarez took several, as did Nate Diaz, but they certainly didn’t enjoy them, and both got dumped on their backsides more than once as a consequence. McGregor is tall for his weight class(es) and is a southpaw. This is a combination that gives his opponents a lot of trouble, especially when trying to attack. His style is similar to that of Lyoto Machida or Stephen Thompson, standing side-on, as many karate practitioners do, with a wide stance to dissuade takedowns. He keeps people at range, tagging them as they come in, and then either piling the pressure on or ducking out of the way. Then, as long as he doesn’t lose energy, the left hand will eventually do its thing.
3. Escaping Mendes
But what, many will be asking, about Khabib’s wrestling? It’s certainly a consideration for McGregor. But this is not the first time that he’s faced a wrestler. At UFC 189, Chad Mendes took McGregor down in both the rounds that they fought. Mendes even managed to lock in a pretty respectable-looking guillotine. But McGregor – somehow – was able to get out of it, almost comfortably so. Within moments, having spent most of the round on his back, he was back on his feet and finishing the fight. Dennis Siver may not have been one of Mac’s most memorable opponents, but he is a competent grappler and attempted three takedowns in the first round of their fight, all of which were avoided. The first Nate Diaz fight (another high-level grappler) didn’t go so well in that regard, although McGregor was able to control a takedown toward the end of the first round, escaping from Diaz’s guard and when the hooter sounded, was on top delivering some punches. By the second round, McGregor was either woozy or gassed enough to try to take Diaz down himself, and that’s what ended the fight for him. But those that say Conor has no ground game aren’t really paying attention.
4. Mystic Mac
McGregor’s meteoric rise would not have been possible without an angle. Yes, he finished fights. Yes, he has an A-grade smack talk game. But plenty of fighters can do that. Very few of them are capable of predicting the round and method of victory with the same level of success as “Mystic Mac”. Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Jose Aldo fell in the round and by the method that he predicted. Dennis Siver lasted a little longer than McGregor’s first round prediction, and if Dana White alleges that McGregor tried to make a $3 million bet with him that he’d finish Mendes in round 2 (but we don’t believe him). His prediction for UFC 229 is a little lacklustre. Once again, he’s predicting a Round 1 victory, but this time has given himself a few outs: “I have been wrong before, I’m prepared for five rounds.”
5. Fearless
Khabib also has a prediction: “I’m going to make him tired and afterward play with him.” There are very few fighters who could threaten this (especially to McGregor) and be believed. Khabib is one of them. This is another reason why McGregor is such a compelling fighter, he almost never takes the easy option. When Aldo pulled out, he could have postponed or booked a bout with someone other than the number one contender. When Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out on 13 days’ notice, he fought Nate Diaz at welterweight. He won the rematch (again, at the same weight) and then went after Eddie Alvarez for the belt, which he won. Then, to cap it all off, he took on the most dominant boxer in history.
With the money he brings into the UFC, McGregor could have had his pick of anyone on the roster for his return fight. A trilogy fight with Nate Diaz. Rematches against the resurgent Poirier or Holloway. Dos Anjos. Tony Ferguson. If he’d said he wanted to fight Tyron Woodley or Brock Lesnar, I’m sure Dana White would have tried to make it happen. Instead, he gets Khabib, a fighter who has allegedly never lost a round, let alone been defeated. At present, he is a slight underdog, and this is possibly his best quality. Fans love a fighter that constantly challenges himself. He may have been given a few easy fights in his earlier career, but McGregor will never choose anything but the biggest challenge he can find.
6. Chat
Dana White believes that McGregor is better at mind games and smack talk than Muhammed Ali. He’s certainly up there, though he lacks the poetry and grace of the legend. There are too many quotes to list here, so here’s a nice compilation if you’ve nothing better to do for the next half an hour.
7. Respect
McGregor pre-fight and McGregor post-fight are wholly different people. It’s not quite of the level of the Incredible Hulk, but it’s close. There’s a moment, probably only a few hours in duration, in the afterglow of the fight, when he is a different person. Calm, respectful, grateful. After defeating Chad Mendes, he described his opponent as a legend for taking the fight on short notice. After winning the Featherweight belt: “I feel for Jose. He was a phenomenal champion.” After losing to Nate Diaz: “I respect Nate; he came in, he took the fight on short notice, came in at 170, and done the job.” After beating Nate Diaz: “Respect to Nate always.”
8. Hurting Mayweather
To the amazement of just about everyone, they actually fought. Having thrown vague promises around on social media for most of two years, McGregor and Mayweather entered a boxing ring in August 2017. And when we say ‘actually fought’, it applies to both men. Mayweather did not employ the evasive style that he has employed against other boxers. He took shots and traded back. And McGregor, he didn’t embarrass himself (although he did try to take Mayweather’s back a few times too many). He came to fight, and amazingly, stood a good chance in the early rounds. While Mayweather’s plan – to allow McGregor to tire himself out in the early rounds – certainly worked, there were reasons for Mayweather to worry. For a start, he was behind on points, the judges giving the UFC fighter the first three rounds. McGregor landed more punches than any of Mayweather’s previous nine opponents, including Manny Pacquiao. And there was one moment, one absolutely sweet uppercut, that probably made Mayweather very nervous indeed. It was not the freak fight everyone had expected, and McGregor acquitted himself well against one of the best ever to box.
9. Game-changer
2017 was a great year for the UFC. They made over $700 million, despite an almost 50% drop in PPV revenue. Approximately $180 of this was due to the Mayweather/McGregor fight. Of the top five best-selling PPV events, only Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 doesn’t feature McGregor’s name, and October’s event will surely take a place in the top five. Love him or hate him, McGregor is making money both for himself and the promotion. People from outside his division have been clamouring for a fight for years (Tyron Woodley is just the latest) because they know that the financial rewards for fighting Conor are far greater than any other fighter in the UFC. Just being on a McGregor card pays more than a regular one. How the UFC manages this is another question. They must walk a fine line between making sure they don’t lose their cash cow and essentially allowing their cash cow to do anything he wants. Right now, there is a bit of an imbalance, as our final point demonstrates.
10. Master of Manipulation
April 2018: “This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”
August 2018: “It was definitely something bad.”
These two disparate quotes from Dana White are on the same subject – McGregor’s attack on UFC 223, where he stormed the arena after a press conference and started throwing things at a bus full of UFC fighters. Three fights on that card were cancelled, several fighters were injured and lawsuits are still pending. Given the amounts of money involved, it’s no surprise that Dana White has changed his tune. Nor is it much of a shock that footage of the attack has been woven into the promotion of the fight. But it’s a bit much that McGregor’s newly launched whiskey brand, which both White and McGregor were supping at the conference, should be one of the event’s main sponsors. The UFC 229 press conference, which was only open to journalists and UFC staff, would surely be an opportunity for the press to drag McGregor over the coals for his bad behaviour, right?
Not a chance. McGregor remains unapologetic. When asked about the incident, he called Khabib a coward, hiding behind women. In a continuing tirade, names were mentioned that most UFC fans would not immediately be familiar with. People like Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, who McGregor used to lambast Khabib’s father. Ziyavudin Magomedov, Khabib’s cousin, who is in prison on embezzlement charges. Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib’s manager, and Noah, alleged to be Ali’s illegitimate son to whom he owes a huge amount in child support. In short, more complicated stuff than MMA journalists are used to, and the sort of thing that sent them sprinting to the nearest Google machine to find out more. McGregor’s bad behaviour is no longer the subject of discussion. Now the spotlight is on Khabib and the people around him, and if any light is being shone on McGregor, it’s to say how good he is at mental warfare. McGregor’s ability to change the narrative is spectacular, and one of his greatest assets.