Issue 222
October 2025
Before championship belts were on the line, the world's greatest fighters were locked in their own battles. Isaac Barnett delves into the gritty and inspiring MMA origin stories that forged these warriors into the legends they are today.
DAN HOOKER – THE ADRENALINE CHASER
Daniel Preston Hooker was born on February 13, 1990, in Auckland, New Zealand. He had a supportive family but hated school. Lunch time was his favorite part because he could pass the rugby ball, a passion he’d gained from his father and grandfather, who both played. Speaking on the Between Two Beers podcast, Hooker said he followed in their footsteps.
“I was playing Rugby league because I loved the game. People crashing into each other, the tackles, my father, and grandfather played rugby league, and I wanted to be like them. The test of manhood that you all go through as teenagers, you get caught up in it, and it’s a fun outlet for the aggressive side that you have. It was a great outlet for me.”
As a teenager, he didn’t get into fights and only encountered MMA through The Ultimate Fighter, but he took no interest in it. After school, he considered joining the military, but realized New Zealand was not at war, so he decided it was a waste. At 18, he found his calling after witnessing his first fight, he told ESPN.
“I went along with a friend to his first MMA fight. It was the first show that I'd ever seen, and he knocked this bloke's head off in 10 seconds, and the crowd went nuts. I felt that adrenaline. I thought, 'I don't know if I can do that, I don't know if I can knock someone out,' but I wanted that feeling of fighting, that feeling of winning. So, when I followed him to the gym that next week, I always had the intention of fighting. I was committed to it straight away.”
To pursue his goal, he studied business while training, but never intended to complete his degree. One year later, he had his first professional fight, which he won via a first-round submission. After 14 fights with a record of 10-4, he earned his shot in the UFC.
CONOR MCGREGOR – THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Conor McGregor was born on July 14, 1988, in Dublin, Ireland. He is the youngest of three children and grew up in Crumlin, a working-class suburb of Dublin. His father, Tony, was a taxi driver, and his mother, Margaret, was a laundry worker. However, she spent most of her time at home caring for her children.
Speaking to Fighters Only, McGregor Sr said, “He didn’t really want for anything. He had all the latest toys, the latest PlayStation, and the latest bike. Nothing was outstanding about his upbringing.”
McGregor’s first sporting love was football, specifically Manchester United. Almost foreshadowing the man, he would be the team’s leading man - the striker. When he turned 10, he wanted to learn how to defend himself, so he joined Crumlin Boxing Club.
Speaking to Redmountmedia, McGregor said: “Football was my first dream, I used to put on my football boots as a kid and kick the ball against the wall, imagining I was in a big stadium, but then I realized that I needed to learn to defend myself.”
He was hooked on boxing until he was 16, when his family moved from Crumlin to Luncan. Here, McGregor met and trained with fellow UFC fighter Tom Egan, who introduced McGregor to Jiu-Jitsu. He heard about a gym called SBG, run by Tom Kavanagh, who was unlike any other coach because he was very open-minded, and he did not have a set way of training. McGregor knew he wanted to pursue MMA because he had left all his friends in Crumlin and had nothing else to do but train. He was pressured by his parents into a plumbing apprenticeship that lasted only 18 months.
“The Irish thing is to get a trade. I was no different. They didn’t know what MMA was, my mam and dad didn’t know I could make a career out of it. I got a trade as a plumber to keep them quiet. I had to work 14-hour days, drive two hours to the site, two hours back with a guy I didn’t even know. I knew it wasn’t for me. Jon had a show coming up, and he asked me to fight on it. As soon as he said that, I left and never went back. My father used to punch me and try to drag me out of bed to go, but I never went back. That was that.”
Shortly after leaving his job, he had his first professional bout, which he won by a second-round TKO, and the rest is history.
HENRY CEJUDO – NACIDA CON NADA
Henry Carlos Cejudo was born on February 9, 1987, in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents. He was the second-youngest of seven siblings, and his father, Jorge Cejudo, was an addict with violent tendencies, which forced the family to move throughout California to hide from him.
Speaking at a fan event at UFC 238, Cejudo said, “My dad was a drug addict. My dad was in and out of jail. My dad sold my Christmas toys for crack money, but on the flipside, my mother was courageous.”
When Cejudo was four, his mother, Nelly Rico, fled California to New Mexico to escape the dangerous environment. Shortly after, Cejudo’s father was arrested and deported back to Mexico. He died when Cejudo turned 20 years old. His mother relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and despite working multiple jobs and barely being able to afford to feed her children twice a day.
“We never got Christmas presents. My mom was always a realist with us, but she would always tell me that I was an American. I didn’t really get that as a kid, but as I got older, I understood what she meant.”
When he turned 10, he followed in his older brother's footsteps, Angel, who became a four-time undefeated high school state champion. His family would often rent UFC events from Blockbuster, and the American wrestlers inspired him. Cejudo won state senior championships in both Arizona and Colorado, and was named the ASICS National High School Wrestler of the Year in 2006. He was selected to join the Olympic Training Centre, and it was the first time in his life that he had his own bed.
“They wanted to make me an Olympic champion, within eight years. That meant 2012, but I had other plans. I knew my heart and my abilities were there. I told them, just give me the resources. On August 19, 2008, that kid with his dream became the youngest Olympic champion wrestler in American history.”
Cejudo failed at becoming a two-time Olympic gold medalist at the 2012 games, which led him to retire from the sport and begin MMA. He won his first six fights and, a year after his debut, signed with the UFC, going on to become one of the world’s greatest fighters.
