‘He’s Changed The Game For All Of Us’

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Despite his questionable antics outside of the cage it’s hard to discredit Conor McGregor’s work inside of it.

In just a matter of three years McGregor became the biggest star in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. After making his UFC debut in 2013 it took “Notorious” just 10 fights to clear out the featherweight division, forge a legendary feud with Nate Diaz at 170 pounds, and claim the lightweight title en route to becoming UFC’s first ever champ-champ, all while cementing himself as the highest paid athlete in the sport.

McGregor’s efforts, which were fueled by unscripted madness in order to create unworldly buzz around his fights, eventually broke the UFC mold and shattered the proverbial ceiling that has long been placed on MMA fighters. His path to greatness may not have been a favorable or agreeable venture, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that McGregor is one of the most important fighters in MMA history, especially when you consider his impact on fighter pay and his overall global notoriety.

Some may not respect McGregor as a person but they certainly understand how he has changed the game forever. According to McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, fighters even come up to him to express their gratitude for “Notorious” and the way he turned MMA on its head.

“I’ve a had a few UFC fighters pull me aside fight week and say something along the lines of “I might not like your boy but we should all be sending him 5%. He’s changed the game for all of us.” Be grateful and you’ll receive more to be grateful for,” wrote Kavanagh via Twitter.

While McGregor has enough money in the bank to last him generations it’s interesting to hear other UFC fighters willing to pony up some cash to pay respect to the Irish trailblazer. Of course, this is coming from Kavanagh’s mouth, but we have no reason to believe the Straight Blast Gym head coach would fluff the truth.

McGregor, who returned to the Octagon this past January to knock out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds at UFC 246, announced his retirement from MMA last month. It was the third time that “Notorious” had revealed his intention to walk away from the sport, but this time it seemed to focus around McGregor’s inability to lock down the fight he wanted. It also came during a time when so many fighters are clashing with UFC over fighter pay and profit sharing, so there’s a good chance McGregor was acting out on similar views.

While McGregor remains “retired” he would likely get a shot at the UFC’s lightweight title if he decided to return. “Notorious” hasn’t quite recaptured the dominance he displayed from 2013-2016 before his superfight with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., but there will always be a spot for McGregor in UFC, especially if the promotion is able to book the rematch of all rematches.