MMA Fighter Conor McGregor’s Ups and Downs Over the Years

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 collected a series of accolades including the 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 challenger Nate Diaz in March 2016. One month after the loss, McGregor announced he had decided to retire from fighting.

“I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese,” he wrote via Twitter in April 2016. “Catch ya’s later.”

However, his retirement didn’t last long. Four months later, McGregor revealed he was returning to the sport to take on Diaz in a rematch. He defeated his rival in August 2016. McGregor continued to make waves and decided the following year he wanted to challenge boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a match. Their August 2017 showdown was billed as “the biggest fight in combat sports history.” The fighters sparred for ten rounds before Mayweather Jr. was declared the victor.

McGregor decided to retire for a second time in March 2019 but reversed the decision the following year to participate in a match against Donald Cerrone. Following his win against Cerrone, McGregor announced in June 2020 he would retire for a third time. Two months later, McGregor proposed to his long-time girlfriend Dee Delvin after 12 years of dating. (The couple share three children: sons Conor Jr., and Rian, and daughter Croia Mairead.)

The following year, McGregor made headlines after getting into a scuffle 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 refuted the claims to Us Weekly in September 2021.

“This is totally false. [There was] no photo request,” the spokesperson told Us at the time, noting that Kelly “attended Conor’s last fight” and that McGregor “appreciates all 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. In demand letters obtained by Us at the time, the woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, alleged that the MMA fighter “violently” sexually assaulted her in a men’s bathroom. A rep for McGregor released a statement to TMZ refuting the allegations. At the time of the accusations, McGregor and his fiancée announced they were expecting their fourth child.

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