MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s ups and downs over the years

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While Conor McGregor is a fighting champion, he’s been through a series of ups and downs inside – and outside – the Octagon.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star began his impressive mixed martial career in 2008 and was signed to the pro league in 2013. Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and more.

Three years after his debut, McGregor lost his first match against challenger Nate Diaz in March 2016. A month after the loss, McGregor announced that he had decided to retire from fighting.

“I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese,” he wrote via Twitter in April 2016. “Catch you later.”

However, his retirement did not last long. Four months later, McGregor revealed that he was returning to the sport to face Diaz in a rematch. He defeated his rival in August 2016. McGregor continued to make waves and the following year decided he wanted to challenge the boxer. Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a match. Their showdown in August 2017 was billed as “the biggest fight in martial arts history”. The fighters floundered for ten rounds before Mayweather Jr. was declared the winner.

McGregor decided to retire for a second time in March 2019, but reversed the decision the following year to take part in a match against Donald Cerrone. After his victory against Cerrone, McGregor announced in June 2020 that he would retire for a third time. Two months later, McGregor proposed to his longtime girlfriend Dee Delvin after 12 years of dating. (The couple share three children: sons Conor Jr. and Rian, and daughter Croia Mairead.)

The following year, McGregor made headlines after getting into a scuffle with Machine gun Kelly at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards after the rapper reportedly denied taking a picture with the mixed martial artist. McGregor’s representative refuted the claims Us weekly September 2021.

“This is totally untrue. [There was] no photo request,” the spokesperson said Us noted at the time that Kelly “attended Conor’s last fight” and that McGregor “appreciates all his fans”.

Two years after the drama with Kelly, McGregor found himself in hot water again. In June 2023, he was accused of raping a woman in Miami while attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Requested letters obtained by Us the woman’s lawyer at the time, Ariel Mitchell, claimed the MMA fighter “violently” sexually assaulted her in a men’s room. A McGregor representative released a statement to TMZ refuting the allegations. At the time of the allegations, McGregor and his fiancé announced they were expecting their fourth child.

Keep scrolling to see McGregor’s ups and downs: