The story of Conor McGregor is quite interesting. Every MMA fan knows who he is these days. He may be a more divisive figure than he once was, but he still has many fans. That is why any merchandise relating to him is usually quite popular.
McGregor headlined UFC 229 in his fight with then-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC 229 is the best-selling MMA pay-per-view event of all time with 2.4 million PPV buys.
Additionally, McGregor was the champion of both the featherweight and lightweight divisions at the same time. However, McGregor’s journey to MMA superstardom was far from straightforward. Without further ado, let’s begin this story by discussing McGregor’s early life and his career as an amateur mixed martial artist.
The Story of Conor McGregor Part 1: McGregor’s Origins and Early Life
Conor McGregor was born in the capital of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin. His passion for sports started with soccer. He played soccer as part of Lourdes Celtic Football Club during his youth. McGregor’s first experience in combat sports happened at age 12 when he joined Crumlin Boxing Club and started boxing.
Initially, he started boxing so that he could increase his confidence and protect himself from bullies. McGregor moved to Lucan, Dublin with his family in 2006. After that, he started a plumbing apprenticeship.
The move to Lucan is important to note since that led to McGregor meeting Tom Egan, who would later join the UFC. McGregor and Egan began training in mixed martial arts together. This training convinced McGregor to continue pursuing mixed martial arts, at least on the side.
Conor McGregor Makes His MMA Debut
Conor McGregor debuted in mixed martial arts on February 17th, 2007 at an event held by Dublin-based MMA promotion Irish Ring of Truth. McGregor was 18 years old. McGregor’s first opponent was Kieran Campbell, whom he beat by first-round TKO. This was McGregor’s first and last amateur bout.
He became a professional mixed martial artist after beating Campbell. As one would expect after such a great debut, he didn’t have to wait long for a professional MMA promotion to sign him. The Irish Cage of Truth promotion signed Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor was now a professional mixed martial artist.
Our Conor McGregor Series Will Continue
This is only the first part of our series on the story of Conor McGregor. It is quite a story, with many ups and downs. Check back soon for the next part of this series.