From welfare to a life of luxury
McGregor has his own rags to riches story. Prior to his UFC debut (which paid $60,000) McGregor was collecting welfare checks from the Irish government. After his first-round victory, McGregor had this to say during his post fight interview — “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’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.”
His net worth is nothing to laugh at
McGregor has a net worth estimated at $35 million, and that’s NOT including whatever he earned in his fight against Mayweather. According to sources, McGregor earned $12 million for defeating Jose Aldo in December of 2015 (in 13 seconds), and as much as $25 million combined for his two brawls with Nate Diaz. And according to sources, his totals earnings for the Mayweather fight will be close to $100 million. With that kind of cash in his bank account, it wouldn’t surprise us if McGregor called it quits sooner than later. After all, how much money does a man really need…?
His shoes need their own passport
If you’ve never bought a pair of shoes made of python or alligator skin, then you’ve probably never run into this problem at the airport. Apparently McGregor’s fashion habits cause a lot of headaches when he’s traveling. He has several pairs of shoes that need their own traveling passport, because he travels to states that outlaw the purchase of certain animal skin products. According to his girlfriend Devlin, if McGregor forgets to pack the passports for his fancy shoes, airport security seizes them… Rich people problems!
He almost became a plumber
It’s hard to believe that a man who struts around in three piece suits almost became a plumber instead. No offense to plumbers, but the traditional blue-collar worker does NOT carry himself the way McGregor does. At the age of 17, McGregor took up a plumbing apprenticeship. After less than a year of training, McGregor decided the life of a plumber wasn’t for him. In an interview with MMA magazine Bloody Elbow, McGregor’s father described the day his son quit — “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’. That’s when he decided to seriously pursue a career as a fighter.”
He owns the record for second-fastest KO in MMA history
In April of 2011, McGregor destroyed opponent Paddy Doherty with a devastating left hook just 3.5 seconds into the fight! According to complex.com, McGregor’s lightning fast knockout earned him the second-fastest KO in MMA history. His brutal TKO of Jose Aldo in 2015 didn’t take much longer.
He isn’t cheap when it comes to spoiling his entourage
Before his last UFC fight, McGregor moved his entire entourage from Ireland to a mega mansion in Las Vegas. As a token of appreciation for their support over the years, McGregor rewarded his training team with an absurd seven-bedroom, 12,00-square-foot mansion just off the Las Vegas strip. Like McGregor, this mansion had some serious style — an olympic sized pool, a custom hot tub, a gym (of course), and floor to ceiling windows.
As a kid he idolized Muhammad Ali
McGregor admits to being in a lot of fights as a kid. But there is one story in particular that stands out above the rest. When he was 12-years-old, an argument between McGregor and a kid from his neighborhood quickly turned into a street fight. McGregor had been watching tape of his idol, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, and thought this was the perfect time to show off his best Ali impression. He began shuffling his feet and shouted “Muhammad Ali!” as he threw a wild punch… Even though his punch missed — and he was jumped by the boy and five of his friends — word of his Ali impression spread throughout the neighborhood. McGregor proudly tells this story whenever he can.
He would destroy Floyd Mayweather in the Octagon
The trash talk in boxing nowadays is pretty weak — so McGregor decided to do a little talking of his own. In an interview with Esquire Magazine McGregor had this to say about boxing legend Floyd Mayweather — “If you put me face-to-face with Floyd Mayweather – pound-for-pound boxing’s best, I would kill him in less than 30 seconds. It would take me less than 30 seconds to wrap around him like a boa constrictor and strangle him.” Fans saw how things played out when McGregor stepped into the ring — but what would it look like if Mayweather stepped into the Octagon…
His trainer saved his life
In 2008, McGregor’s fighting career almost came to an end before it even got started. After his first few fights, McGregor disappeared from the gym, and started spending all of his time and money partying. At the request of McGregor’s mother, his trainer, John Kavanagh, came to the house to talk some sense into the talented (but immature) young fighter. Kavanagh promised McGregor he would waive all training fees if he came back to the gym. Kavanagh realized McGregor’s potential even before McGregor himself knew what he was capable of.
Diaz was his first loss since 2010
Before his upset defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz at UFC 196, McGregor hadn’t lost a fight since 2010. In that match, his opponent Joseph Duffy earned the upset victory over McGregor, with an arm-triangle choke just 38 seconds into the first round. Surprisingly, there was never a rematch between the two fighters…
He has dated girlfriend Dee Devlin since 2007
McGregor owes a lot of his success to his training team, but he always goes out of his way to mention the massive contributions made by his longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin. In a recent interview with VIP Magazine, McGregor had this to say about Devlin — “My girlfriend has been there since the start. She has helped me throughout my entire career. If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.” When she’s not screaming from the stands, Devlin is busy managing McGregor’s finances. She is officially a member of the team, and travels with him wherever he goes.
He isn’t the only McGregor who can pack a punch
Conor isn’t the only McGregor you should be scared of. His sister Erin is a competitive bodybuilder, and almost as ripped as he is! The two siblings were always extremely close, but Erin says she has an even stronger bond with her younger brother, now that she can relate to how hard he works as a fighter.
He Won his first Pro Fight with a TKO in the First Round
In 2007, at the age of 18, McGregor made his MMA debut in an amateur fight against Ciaran Campbell in Dublin. McGregor finished off his helpless opponent via TKO in the first round. As you can see in the video above, it wasn’t much of a fight… Following the fight, McGregor turned pro and was signed by the Irish Cage of Truth. In 2008, he began training with world renowned trainer John Kavanagh at the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin.