The last time Conor Anthony McGregor walked away from the cage, he had his head high after proving to those who loved him unconditionally and who had doubts about his supremacy alike that he was indeed the present-day eidolon of MMA.
His coming appearance on October 6, 2018 as part of UFC 229 would mark an end to his absence from the cage that lasted about two years. However, this time around, he would step into an octagon that is quite dissimilar to the one he left.
The Irishman left the cage victorious after dispatching a TKO defeat to Eddie Alvarez. Now he would enter the cage barehanded, building up from scratch. To add insult to injury, he would be brawling against a reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hasn’t faced a single loss in his pro career up till now.
Though McGregor has been away from the cage’s light, he didn’t shy away from the limelight.
The most-talked about artist knows how to engrave his mark on the canvas and in real life. The following events show us exactly why Khabib vs. Conor fight is being dubbed as the biggest showdown in UFC’s history.
November 12, 2016 – The Irishman emerges as UFC’s lightweight champion after dispatching a TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez. The win got his name written in the promotion’s history book as the first artist to hold belts from two divisions.
November 26, 2016 – Pride comes before fall. The Mystic Mac has to relinquish his featherweight title owning to his inactivity.
December 1, 2016 – California State Athletic State issues a boxing license to the MMA artist.
May 5, 2017– Happiness galore for the Irishman. Conor and his girlfriend Dee Devlin welcome their first child.
June 14, 2017 – McGregor and boxing best Floyd Mayweather battle is finally confirmed.
August 26, 2017 – The southpaw artist fails to impress in the boxing ring. Mayweather issues a 10th round TKO to Conor. Despite the fight being Mayweather’s solo performance for the year, Conor lands a 4th spot on Forbes magazine for being the highest paid athlete 2017.
November 10, 2017 – McGregor shows why he is called “The Notorious.” As soon as Charlie Ward end’s opponent John Redmond with a TKO, the Irishman rages into the ring at his hometown, manhandling two officials including referee Marc Goddard. However, McGregor apologizes for his irrational behaviour.
November 29, 2017 – McGregor faces death threats after having punched someone close to Graham “The Wig” Whelan – one of the biggest gangsters in Ireland. The criminal is known to be involved in taking away lives of 16 people in early 2000’s.
April 3, 2018 – Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov get caught up in a steamy conflict. Khabib and Conor were already pouting hatred for each other on social media. Nurmagomedov had held UFC responsible for keeping McGregor away from facing off the Russian. During the heated argument, Khabib gets pulled away so that the situation doesn’t get out of control.
April 5, 2018 – McGregor doesn’t shy away from attacking a UFC bus by throwing a trolley and bin at it inside Barclays Center. There were many passengers seated inside the bus including Khabib, Chiesa, Borg and Namajunas. Though his prime target, Nurmagomedov remains unaffected, Chiesa and Borg have to undergo medical treatment, due to which they pull out of UFC 223. UFC President Dana White tipped the event as “the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”
April 6, 2018 – After turning himself in to New York police the previous night, McGregor is released for $ US 50,000 bail with an order to keep a distance from all the fighters that were present in the bus during the attack.
April 7, 2018 – McGregor relinquishes his second belt due to his inactivity as Nurmagomedov seals a win against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223.
June 8, 2018 – The Irishman makes his court appearance in Brooklyn where he acknowledges all his wrong actions, saying he regrets causing trouble. His legal team announces that they are working towards a plea deal with the court.
July 26, 2018 – As part of his plea deal, Conor is saved from serving time in jail. He pleads guilty of his offense, and the court rules out other charges against him. The fighter is ordered to attend anger management classes for three days and serve five days in community service.
August 3, 2018 – UFC puts forward and official statement about the most awaited fight Khabib vs. Conor. The promotion says that the two best fighters would be facing off on October 6, 2018 for UFC lightweight belt as part of headliner for UFC 229.
