If you look past the multi-million dollar paydays, fighting in sold-out arenas, luxury yachts, and more, Conor McGregor has one of the best rags-to-riches stories. Life wasn’t always as easy for the Dublin native. But with an unparalleled hunger and determination to make his mark in the world, Conor was destined for greatness.
The former two-division UFC champion faced several obstacles in his life. However, before he became a global superstar, Conor fought the battle that mattered most: at home.
Today, Conor stands as a prime example of how successful an athlete can be in MMA. He is the biggest draw in the history of the UFC, with not a close second in sight. However, when he started, there weren’t many great examples, let alone one in Ireland. So, the task of convincing his parents about his career path wasn’t going to be easy.
Conor always had the support of his mother, but it wasn’t because she understood the fight business; it’s just how Irish mothers are. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he said, “Irish mothers will support you no matter what you do. My father always jokes that I could be doing anything, and my mother would still be my biggest fan.”
However, getting his father on board with this idea was difficult. “My father was unaware of what the game was and what the sport was,” Conor explained. The Notorious talked about how there wasn’t an Irish fighter on the world map whom he could point at to make his case. Fortunately, the parents understood him, and his passion led him to become the biggest MMA fighter in the history of the sport.
Conor McGregor is now the blueprint
An athlete’s greatness can truly be determined by their impact on the sport and influence on future generations. Similar to what the great Muhammad Ali did for boxing, Conor helped make UFC a household name. He used his influence, infectious personality, and charm to bring in a new audience for the sport.
The meteoric rise of the Irish superstar can be seen in tandem with the growth of UFC. Today, Conor can proudly claim that he has influenced millions of people around the world to become better. But more importantly, he has brought the fighting culture to his country, where countless aspiring fighters are dreaming of their UFC debut. And the best part is that they have a Conor McGregor to look up to.
“There are many many young kids who are seeing the path now. There are many many parents of young kids who are seeing my path and encouraging their kids into the game of martial arts…It allows them to conquer whatever they want to. Whether they wanna conquer the fight game, they can. Whether they want to conquer the business game or whatever,” Conor said.
The UFC legend emphasized the lessons that one can learn from martial arts and how they can be used to excel in any discipline of one’s choice.
