Issue 139
March 2016
Conor McGregor talked the talk last year better than any other fighter in history, but he also walked the walk and earned plaudits from the entire MMA world.
When it comes to generating column inches, headlines and memes, nobody in mixed martial arts compares to UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Every media engagement, press conference, weigh-in or fight featuring the Irishman has produced soundbites that have resonated around the world.
And that’s why he’s the self-proclaimed ‘Shot Caller’. He’s ‘The King’. He’s ‘The Face of the Fight Game’. Sign up to fight him and he’ll “make you rich.” He’ll “change your bum life.” He’ll make your wife “break out the red panties” in celebration.
But what did the rest of the industry have to say about Conor? How did his stellar 2015 play out through the minds and voices of some of the game’s biggest stars. FO digs back into the archives to review the defining 12-months in the career of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.
Joe Rogan, UFC color commentator
“When Conor McGregor fights there is this inescapable feeling you are witnessing something that comes along once in a lifetime. He’s the UFC’s version of a Sugar Ray Leonard or a Muhammad Ali, just someone undeniably special. He’s coming off an incredible top-10 KO of a legit featherweight in Dustin Poirier and he made it look easy. The people want to see Conor McGregor fight and they want to see him fight for the title. He has the chance against Dennis Siver to make that case, to cement
his chance at fighting for the title.”
José Aldo, former UFC featherweight champion
“I have gained my attention for my accomplishments inside the Octagon, for my victories, my championship belt, while he’s gotten some popularity from only his trash talking. It does not please me, but it does not bother me either.”
Georges St Pierre, former UFC welterweight champion
“I loved it when he grabbed the belt, but Conor McGregor is either very smart or very dumb. I think we have seen already he has skills but his tactics with Aldo in the press conferences is to show him no respect. He’s not putting him on a pedestal like so many other opponents have done before. He’s not put an aura around Aldo and that’s important for him mentally. If you have confidence it changes the game a lot.”
Forrest Griffin, former UFC light heavyweight champion
“Conor is a genius. He’s made a point of breaking down the media as a separate discipline to the fight game. I wish I’d heard that little clip of him talking at the Dublin media day 10 years ago. He does a way better job of that than anyone else and I think eventually people will start to realize that. I saw Brock Lesnar doing his kind of shtick, I saw Chael Sonnen doing his shtick and I saw Rashad Evans do his thing as well, but it didn’t click for me until I saw Conor do it. Now I get it, and it’s worked brilliantly. I am drinking the green Kool-Aid on this one man, I think Conor will beat Aldo.”
John Kavanagh, SGB Ireland head coach
“There are two types of guys who go into the UFC. There are guys who are coming up through the ranks and are still learning their trade, and then you’ve got guys who were born to fight at UFC level. They’re ready to contend for the title and Conor is one of them. Conor could have fought for the belt in his first fight and still won it.”
Tony McGregor, Conor’s father
“My son proved me wrong in his life and I’m delighted that he’s proved me wrong. Not many dads will say that. He knows how to play a crowd and he knows how to play his opponent as well. It’s just like a natural instinct to him. I don’t know where he gets it from. I just enjoy what he does. We all do. To see it unfold before our eyes is a great feeling.”
Bas Rutten, former UFC heavyweight champion
“I love this guy. He’s not just a talker, he can actually fight. And he believes in himself 100% and that’s so valuable for a fighter. When he talks he says he can’t lose, so you are literally going to have to kill this guy because he won’t quit. And Aldo knows this also. When Conor took the belt, it was like a set-up, it was hilarious and the fight will be one of the biggest pay-per-views ever.”
Dana White, UFC president
“McGregor came out and showed everybody he’s a killer, man. This kid comes to kill you. He comes to take you out, finish you. When you do that with José Aldo, holy s**t, you’re going to have an amazing fight on your hands. They’re two of the best fighters in the world, in the prime of their life, going after the belt.”
Eddie Bravo, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder
“I’m teaching this class one day, and someone was punching a bag in the corner. I look over and said, ‘Is that Conor McGregor hitting the bag in my gym?’ I told him I was just teaching and he tells me he needed a place to hit a bag while he was doing some work for the UFC. Within three minutes, he shows up on the mat and he’s like, ‘Where are your best guys?’ So I hooked him up with my best guys. No UFC guys do that. He’s not afraid to grapple and train and work with whomever on the ground to improve his grappling. That’s huge. From that point, I thought, ‘That’s why he’s so good.’ He’s looking to evolve.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the original Hollywood action man
“Conor is probably one of the greatest athletes of all time. He has the right combination of the mind, the body and the talent. The two are connected so well with him, and that’s so important in athletics. You believe 100% in your victory. And because you see it, you believe it, you achieve it. And that’s the way it goes. He’s also a fun guy to hang out with. He’s very good with improvisation. He reminds me a little bit of how I was growing up in bodybuilding. You get noticed by saying outrageous things and he does that. And because of that, and because he’s a great fighter, he’s becoming the hottest ticket.”
Holly Holm, UFC women’s bantamweight champion
“Conor is great. I guess you either love him or hate him, but he’s the one everybody wants to watch. And that’s good for him, good for the UFC, good for everybody. I know I like having somebody entertaining to watch.”
Ronda Rousey, former women’s bantamweight champion
“It’s been a real joy watching him progress and mature. Not just as a fighter but as a man. I’ve seen him grow a lot and I’ve been very encouraged by what I’ve seen. I couldn’t be happier for him and the company for winning and I really appreciate the respect he’s shown me. Its definitely mutual.”
Michael Bisping, UFC middleweight
“I love watching Conor fight. He’s entertaining inside the ring and outside the ring, he kind of reminds me of myself a few years ago – albeit a much smaller version and far less good looking. But he does have a charisma about him, I’ll give him that. The guy is fun to watch. The hype is deserved. He’s with the same management team I’m with and we are going to see a lot more of Conor, that’s for sure. The guy’s a star.”
Ed O’Neill, BJJ black belt and star of TV show Modern Family
“Conor McGregor looks like he could be a boxer, I really like how he fights. I enjoy how he manages distance and sets things up. I think he would knock José Aldo out. If this Irishman hit him, he will go. He’s huge for that weight class. He’s young, he has the whole thing. I really like him.”
Brian Stann, former UFC middleweight
“Conor McGregor has created the biggest stage we have ever seen in the sport. He’s built that. The numbers that are coming in are incredible. He walked to the Octagon like he already knew he won that fight. He was smiling, he was calm and he talked about his timing. His timing, his distance and his range. And, yes, it was a 13-second KO, but it came because he was so focused when that bell rang and that’s really rare for a fighter in that kind of moment.”
Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC chairman and CEO
“Conor will be our first $100 million fighter.”
Daniel Cormier, UFC light heavyweight champion
“It’s unbelievable to watch this guy. He has that ‘it’ factor. He has that star quality about him that most people only wish they had.
He draws people in. I find myself watching videos of this kid riding bicycles through Long Beach, or driving his car through Hollywood and I’m laughing because he chooses the most awkward songs to listen to. But I can’t take my eyes off him!”
Rolling Stone magazine
“There’s no denying that the brash, brawling Irishman is currently the biggest star in mixed martial arts (sorry, Ronda); and now, he’s got Aldo’s featherweight championship, too. And while his accomplishments inside the Octagon are impressive, his flashy excesses outside of it make him legendary. Dropping half-a-million dollars on a pair of cars? Check. Debating the merits of purchasing a chimp as a mascot? Yep. Sparring with – then summarily talking s**t about – Game of Thrones’ massive Mountain?
You know it.”
Dana White, UFC president
“Conor has said that he would like to win the 155lb belt and fight four times a year and defend both belts. If anybody can do it, Conor McGregor can. This guy has pretty much done everything he said he would do. Normally I would say if you’re going to move up in weight, you have to give up the belt, but Conor has done everything he said he would do. He wants to fight. He really likes money. So if anybody could do it, it’s probably him.”
