The Wasted Career of Conor McGregor

Three years ago Conor McGregor had the world at his feet, he was a double world champion and arguably the biggest draw in all of sports. It was telling that a mouthy Irishman from Crumlin had managed to elevate the UFC from its previous reputation of being a vicious, destructive sport. It was a Mixed Martial Artist who covered every magazine and spoke in every prime-time interview not as sport would traditionally dictate a boxer. McGregor could have done anything that he wanted, he could have dominated both lightweight and featherweight for years to come instead of drifting around aimlessly with no real focus losing pretty much every bout he has fought since 2016.

McGregor was rag-dolled by Khabib and lost a boxing contest against Floyd Mayweather Jr. I do not fault McGregor for taking these fights, I would find fault in the fact that he has not consistently applied himself since the second Diaz fight. In the prime years of his career where a fighter peaks, he has spent the majority of time getting pissed up and promoting his whiskey brand which has been described as artificial tasting. Again I cannot fault Conor for attempting new business endeavours but it feels like he does not have any control over the details, much like his fight career. These endeavours has become distractions that have become destructive, his personal life does not help with these issues at all. The point which sticks to Conor over time is that he has lost the love of the grind, he now seemingly only cares about Rolexes and Lamborghinis.

The reason why fans loved McGregor as a fighter was his charismatic nature, the ability to speak witticisms while acting humbly towards the every man. Conor’s stories of pretending that his Peugeot hatchback was a Lamborghini and rainy Dublin was Las Vegas were incredibly relatable. Every single person has the moments in their mind where they can see their dream in front of him and also the hard-work to achieve their dream. It is just that once Conor achieved his dream, he had nothing else to focus on, he lacked the mindset of a champion. Champions strive for more than their dreams, they understand that legacy is more important that the Patek Philippes and Bentleys. If we put McGregor against any other MMA champion, his mind-set does not stack up.

A fighter like George St Pierre had a constant hunger which could only be satisfied by improving his own legacy. St Pierre’s desire for winning was driven by a different idea compared to Conor, GSP was driven by fear. He feared the idea of losing and the ramifications of a loss, his entire world would be thrown into chaos if he lost a fight. That was the effect that his fear of losing had on his career, it largely led GSP to being a perfectionist to the level where he retired due to the pressures of his career. GSP could not deal with the relentless pressure of having a target on his back constantly, he needed time to get his mind right before he came back in dominant fashion against another model champion.

Michael Bisping is arguably the embodiment of a modern Mixed Martial Artist. He is strangely old school in his sense of respect and honesty. Throughout his career Bisping was never shy of insulting his opponent but in most cases, he was all compliments after the fight. He is another fighter who never gave up the grind, for ten years straight he worked hard at his game which eventually resulted in gold being wrapped around his waist. The fighter who seemed to be stuck as a gatekeeper eventually broke through to the promised land by beating one of the most hyped middleweight fighters in UFC history. Luke Rockhold carried a weight of expectation behind him, it was expected that he would run the division with Javier Mendez’ coaching and a highly developed skillset. Bisping put a stop to that and proved that the grind is necessary to win a UFC title.

Over the last three years, Conor has not shown the same level of dedication to his craft. The fight against Floyd Mayweather was incredibly profitable but it also meant that he went away from developing MMA skills. All of those months spent perfecting striking that would be highly effective in boxing could have been spent developing a defensive wrestling game which is a necessity for a striker in terms of retaining championships. If you think back at all UFC champions who have come from striking backgrounds, each fighter has worked on their defensive wrestling so that it is possible to take them down. If you look at a fighter like Max Holloway or Jose Aldo, they manage to keep the fight standing by never allowing a grappler to drag them down to the floor. McGregor could have grinded on these skills which would have stood him in good stead against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Instead McGregor did not have that ability to keep the fight standing, Khabib took him down relentlessly and imposed his will on the fight. Nurmagomedov found it easy to take the Irishman down and grind him into submission, it was an impressive performance, one of the most dominant performances which I have seen in the Octagon but it just feels like McGregor could have done better. He is a fighter who has had dominant performances, he destroyed Eddie Alvarez with his range fighting and devastating punching accuracy. The striking which look so clean in the Alvarez was likely drilled over and over again in the gym in Dublin. In the Khabib fight run-up , McGregor did not seem focused on the fight itself, he was focused on trying to break Nurmagomedov mentally.

Khabib is a fighter with seemingly no weaknesses except for trying to anger him by revelations about the company that he keeps in Eastern Europe, the type of revelations which the majority of the western media did not know about it. Khabib is heavily associated with a dictator who uses sports such as Mixed Martial Arts and wrestling in order to wash the reputation of his country. Ramzan Kadyrov is notorious for human rights violations and the persecution of gay Chechen males. These men were often locked in concentration camps and beaten mercilessly because of their sexual orientation. These are actions which are occurring today in Chechnya, these are not barbaric actions which have been consigned to the dark pages of history. The mud slinging made some sense in a warped way, it would force Khabib onto a defensive front publicly and possibly anger Nurmagomedov into making reckless mistakes. McGregor made a mistake in pissing off a guy who is unbelievably stoic and difficult to rile into making rash decisions.

Conor’s decision to throw stones at glasshouses was ironic in many ways. It was a distraction from the grind while also reflecting his own out of the cage decisions. McGregor since he was a teenager has held close relationships with key figures within the Kinahan Syndicate which is one of Dublin’s foremost criminal organisations. The Kinahan Syndicate has waged a turf war against the Hutch Gang for years in Ireland and in foreign countries such as Spain. McGregor’s association with the Kinahan’s stems from his youth where he trained at Crumlin Boxing Club with David Byrne who eventually grew into being one of the Kinahan’s trusted lieutenants. Byrne was the right-hand man of Daniel Kinahan, the street boss for the Irish family who ran day to day operations regarding drug trafficking. McGregor mixing with these figures is another unwanted distraction for the Irish fighter. These links threaten him with the prospect of his fighting career being ruined for good. If the Irish prosecution services can prove that McGregor is linked with this syndicate in whatever fashion, it may affect things like visas to foreign countries. This is a particularly pertinent fact when it is considered that Vegas is the fight capital of the world, it is the place where a fighter can earn the greatest possible payday. Over the last three years, there have been reports of McGregor getting into trouble with this particular organisation including an incident where he struck a Kinahan associate and claimed on Twitter that he was the Mob.

The other issues affecting Conor are a lot more wide-ranging. His trash-talking has been entertaining at times but it has also become incredibly ugly. He referred to Nate Diaz as a ‘cholo’, a term which could be considered an ethnic slur given Diaz’ Latino heritage. He called Dennis Siver a ‘Nazi’ based off the fact that Siver was a German fighter who wore a skinhead hairstyle. The most offensive language was reserved for his biggest fight, the war against Khabib Nurmagomedov in New York. Khabib is a devout Muslim who follows his religion to the letter of the law, a man like that must be respected his dedication to a higher purpose over money. It is very rare in today’s society where an athlete turns down money due to religious commitments. In Khabib’s case, he has refused to take fights in Spring due to Ramadan. The only other example which I can think of would be Darren Collison retiring from the NBA so that he can spread the word of God.

In Islam, alcohol is strictly forbidden, it is regarded as a vice and a temptation posed by the Devil. McGregor thinking he was being clever in creating controversy to promote his Proper 12 Irish Whiskey forcefully offered the alcoholic beverage to Khabib. I think in press conferences situations, a lot of material is fair game but something like religion is off-limits as is family and sexuality. It was a line which Conor crossed happily without thinking about the damage of his actions. McGregor already carried a lot of baggage and then proceeded to piss off Muslims around the world with his inappropriate actions.

It is no secret that the UFC have been looking to break into the Arab market for years. The Middle East and Russia have been earmarked by Dana White as potential growth areas in which the sport can grow their viewers. There is an appetite for combat sports in these regions which have been proved by WBC choosing to hold Super Six Boxing in Saudi Arabia and ACB operating as a hugely successful MMA promotion across the Caucasus States. McGregor can’t be booked in these regions, his booking would go down like a lead balloon for the UFC which is not what Dana wants. Dana wants to make as much money as possible, a fighter like Conor hinders this objective and will be sidelined if he is detrimental to the business.

McGregor’s trash-talk has crossed the line and has become more of a distraction than a help in his fighting career, the other distractions are much more obvious. Alcohol, women and partying in Ibiza have meant that the edge that the Irishman worked so hard to cultivate has been dulled. McGregor became one of the world’s best fighters by having more hunger than anybody, by having a desire which drove him to train every single day. The comforts of a wealthy life and the ability to spend huge amounts of money on leisure pursuits have meant that more and more vices have become sustainable. In his years before the Mayweather fight, McGregor could not afford to spend thousands on partying because eventually his well of finance would go dry. Then Mayweather fight made Conor a ridiculous amount of money which means that he could piss the wealth away without no real effect on his life, it does not force him back into fighting. A comfortable life has taken away the inner demon within McGregor, the insatiable monster who lusts for money is satisfied with a life where Conor has all of the cars, houses and jewellery that he could possibly wish for.

All of these distractions have inflated his ego to an unbelievable level. With one text on his phone, he could have women jump into his bed for sex and he could have a dozen goons turn up to carry out violence at his behest. That kind of influence goes to a man’s head, he begins to think that he is bigger than everybody else and anybody who disagrees with him should be dealt with. It is one of the reasons why he reacted so violently when Khabib puts his hands on Conor’s team-mate, Artem Lobov. McGregor thought that his celebrity and money would protect from the repercussions of assault on a UFC bus, an attack which left Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg with serious lacerations and harmed Rose Namajunas mental state. He believed this because he was the UFC main draw and had a dozen Irish goons who would fight for him.

Conor’s ego has become part of his character, the humble guy from the past is gone. It is hard to relate to a person who starts attacking people in pubs who are largely defenceless and it is hard to relate to a person who is seemingly lost in the trappings of wealth. McGregor is not the same guy who he was after the Diaz fight, the stand-up fighter who could accept a loss graciously and humbly. All of the distractions have taken away the prime years of his career, consider this fact, McGregor has fought twice in three years and lost both fights while looking incredibly inferior. The prime years of a fighter are usually the years between twenty eight and thirty two, it is the period where the fighter is sharpest mentally and has the athleticism to be truly dominant. This is not the case for all fighters but it is a useful yardstick.

In many ways Conor McGregor reminds me of another talented athlete who wasted away an entire career. Mario Balotelli started his career with Inter Milan and had all of the attributes that a world class striker needs. Balotelli had a powerful physical frame mixed with tight technical skills with which he could create moments of magic. It was widely expected among Italian football experts that Balotelli would be the future of the Italian National Team and the type of player who would challenge for the title of best player in the world. Instead Balotelli fell into all of the distractions around, he indulged in the pleasures that wealth brings without actually grafting at the training ground every single day. Today Balotelli’s flashes of brilliance are less common, he has not had the career which many predicted ten years ago. He has been a journeyman striker who has struggled with discipline and ill temper throughout his entire career.

The most important question surrounding Conor is whether he can come back and still do the business. It is a hard question to answer when his hunger for fighting is considered, it genuinely feels like his hunger for combat is gone. As a fan, I would feel robbed if he returned and then chose to mail in every single performance while earning huge paydays. I think a return to MMA will only happen if McGregor’s attitude changes massively, he has earned the generational wealth which was the focus of his career. At this point in time, he has no motivation to fight given his past desires. The only way I see McGregor back in an Octagon is if Khabib consents to a second fight, a fight where Conor can get some revenge in order to massage his ego.

The flame of McGregor burned brightly and shortly in equal measure. There was legitimate brilliance in his destruction of Mendes, Aldo and Alvarez, a brilliance akin to watching an artist work. The career which looked so bright has fizzled out because of Conor’s actions and nothing else.