Conor McGregor Opens Up on Superstardom and the Struggles That Nearly Broke Him

He continued, “As I went on and achieved massive success and global, otherworldly superstardom. It overcame me at times.”

For those unfamiliar, McGregor entered the UFC as a two-division Cage Warriors champion and set out to replicate that success inside the Octagon. His rise at featherweight was nothing short of spectacular. On his way to gold, he racked up a 7-0 record and stopped big names like Dustin Poirier, Chad Mendes, and finally Jose Aldo. 

At UFC 194, McGregor shocked the world by knocking out Aldo in just 13 seconds, ending the Brazilian’s nearly decade-long unbeaten reign and establishing himself as the new face of the company. But that was only the beginning. McGregor then jumped up two weight classes, producing an unforgettable rivalry with Nate Diaz at UFC 196 and UFC 202. 

Shortly after, he moved to lightweight and dismantled Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously. From there, the stakes skyrocketed. After claiming lightweight gold, McGregor landed a nine-figure payday for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. 

While the crossover event broke records, many believe the move and the transition back to MMA derailed what could have been one of the most prolific UFC careers ever. When he finally returned from a nearly two-year hiatus, McGregor faced Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018 in what became the highest-selling UFC pay-per-view of all time with a record 2.4 million sales. 

He lost that fight, and his UFC record has since slipped to 1-3. His most recent Octagon appearance came at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier, where a broken leg ended the fight in the first round via doctor’s stoppage. 

A comeback was almost set for UFC 303 in June 2024 against Michael Chandler, a fight hyped for over a year thanks to their stint as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31. But a pinky toe injury forced McGregor to withdraw.

Since then, life outside the cage has kept him in the headlines. He has faced legal issues, grown his business empire, and even secured partial ownership in BKFC. Now, with McGregor re-energized and the UFC eager to deliver something historic, it feels like only a matter of time before his long-awaited return is locked in for the landmark White House card in 2026.