Conor McGregor

If you lived in Dublin in the late noughties and you hired a plumber, there’s a chance that they brought along an apprentice who was an unknown and up-and-coming UFC fighter by the name of Conor McGregor. Even back then, he had his eyes set on greatness. McGregor took the apprenticeship to keep his parents happy, but he was also studying combat sports and training with future UFC fighter Tom Egan.

There was no way he could have known it at the time, but the man who would one day be called “The Notorious” would eventually become a global superstar, almost singlehandedly taking mixed martial arts from being a niche interest to being a mainstream sport.

Get to Know Conor McGregor

Early Years

The MMA superstar was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 14th, 1988. That makes Conor McGregor’s age 37 years old at the time of writing in 2025. 

Parents Tony and Margaret McGregor were of a working-class background, although they did everything they could to give the young lad a loving and nurturing upbringing. As a child, he lived in a neighbourhood called Crumlin in the south side of Dublin, and it was at Crumlin Boxing Club where he first discovered the combat sports that would shape his life. Crumlin is a relatively rough part of the city, but it also has a tightly-knit community. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else, but where they also make sure that they lock their doors.

Conor McGregor’s first love was football, and he used to play for Lourdes Celtic Football Club until his love for boxing took over. During his teens, the family moved to Lucan, a village to the west of Dublin, which is home to Europe’s largest female-only boxing tournament. There, McGregor continued to train as both a boxer and a martial artist while also securing an apprenticeship as a plumber. Little did he know what his future had in store for him.

Becoming a Famous MMA Fighter 

By 2006, 18-year-old Conor McGregor had fully embraced mixed martial arts, training at Dublin’s SBG (Straight Blast Gym) with head coach John Kavanagh, a man who’d become a key figure in the future featherweight champion’s development. It didn’t take long for McGregor to start achieving success as a mixed martial artist, and in 2011 and 2012, he won two titles in Cage Warriors MMA events, winning the Featherweight Championship and then the Lightweight Championship. It was a major milestone in the sport, with McGregor becoming the first European to hold two titles in two different divisions at the same time.

Unsurprisingly, UFC president Dana White soon heard about the young man’s success, even travelling to Ireland to see McGregor in action. In 2013, McGregor signed with White and made his UFC debut with a bout against Marcus Brimage. He knocked Brimage out in the first round, prompting McGregor to predict that he’d go on to become a UFC champion. 

He wasn’t wrong. Over the next couple of years, McGregor’s continuing dedication to the craft would pave the way for a long and exciting future in the sport.

Personal Life

Friends, Family, and Love Life

Conor McGregor met his long-term partner Dee Devlin in 2008, back when he was just 20 years old. Back then, the future legend had neither fame nor fortune, and while he was showing a huge amount of potential as a fighter, there were still a lot of unknowns.

But Devlin proved to be the loyal girlfriend that McGregor needed, helping him to stick to his training sessions and even chipping in to pay for them. Throughout his career, McGregor has regularly thanked her for her support and credited her as being one of the reasons why he’s been so successful.

In August 2020, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, McGregor proposed to Devlin, sharing a photo of her diamond engagement ring. 

As well as being known as Conor McGregor's wife, Devlin is also his business partner and the mother of his three kids. She’s stayed by his side for the best part of almost 20 years, even throughout the controversies (which we’ll talk about a little later).

Is Conor McGregor married? Not yet, as far as we know, unless the two of them tied the knot in private. Married or not, though, the couple couldn’t be more in love.

Fatherhood

The fighter has already shown himself to be a family man, welcoming four children with fiancée Dee Devlin and ensuring that his proudly Irish heritage will be passed down to the next generation.

Of the four Conor McGregor kids, Conor Jr. is the oldest, having been born in 2017. He was followed by Croia McGregor in 2019, Rian in 2021, and Mack in 2023.

The Conor McGregor children spend a lot of time with their father, who’s shown himself to be a loving and hands-on parent, despite the demands of his hectic career and life in the public eye. He often shares social media posts that show him spending time with the kids, including behind-the-scenes shots of trips to Dubai and the French Riviera. 

These aren’t your stereotypical spoiled celebrity kids, though. Conor and Dee have shown themselves to be committed to giving the kids the best possible education, while simultaneously making sure that they remember their roots and don’t take their wealth for granted.

Career and Achievements in the UFC

The Champ’s Most Famous Fights

With over a dozen bouts to his name, Conor McGregor has plenty of famous fights that we could talk about. 

Perhaps the most famous of all was when the double champion faced José Aldo in 2015. McGregor knocked the featherweight champion out in 13 seconds, setting a record for the fastest ever finish in a UFC title fight. The José Aldo knockout also meant that McGregor became the new UFC featherweight champion and helped to establish him as a superstar in his own right. 

Then there’s McGregor’s famous rivalry with Nate Diaz, which began with his first-ever UFC defeat after a submission at UFC 196. The two men went toe to toe again at UFC 202, only this time, McGregor came out on top after five gruelling rounds, which saw both men giving it their all.

Soon after his win against Diaz, McGregor also beat Eddie Alvarez in a bout for the lightweight title, which is what made him the first-ever UFC fighter to hold two titles in different weight divisions at the same time.

But McGregor wasn’t done making history. A couple of years later, in 2017, he crossed over into boxing and fought the undefeated champion, Floyd Mayweather. McGregor lost due to a TKO in the tenth round, but he put up a good fight and made a fortune while he was at it, too. In fact, the pay-per-view for the fight racked up over four million buys, making it one of the biggest and most popular pay-per-views in history.

Biggest Controversies

Of course, it’s hard to build a career like McGregor’s without experiencing some controversy along the way. 

For example, in April 2018, he was involved in the Brooklyn Incident, a bus attack that took place in the lead-up to UFC 223. During the event, McGregor threw a dolly through a bus’s window, injuring fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg, who suffered cuts from the shattered glass.

Understandably, this led to some legal issues, though he avoided any jail time thanks to a plea deal. It wasn’t great for the Conor McGregor UFC fans’ concern either, as the incident showed a rare crack in his metaphorical armour

The controversy doesn’t stop there, though. Later that year, McGregor faced Nurmagomedov in the Octagon, losing to him via submission in the fourth round. After the fight was over, the two men brawled with each other’s teams, spilling outside the Octagon and forcing security to step in. The Nevada State Athletic Commission later fined Khabib Nurmagomedov $500,000 and suspended him for nine months, while Conor McGregor received a $50,000 fine and a six-month suspension for his role in the melee.

Since then, McGregor has announced his retirement multiple times, though he’s returned to the Octagon each time. He’s also been accused of sexual assault allegations in 2018, 2020, and 2021 (though no criminal charges were ever filed), and the 2019 incident in a Dublin pub where he was caught on camera punching a man. 

Meanwhile, McGregor has also used his social media presence to document his chaotic life, often starting online feuds and making controversial statements that have strained his relationship with fans, though those truly loyal to him have stuck around through thick and thin.

Business Outside the Cage

As we’ve seen, McGregor is as well-known for his behaviour outside the ring as his performance within it. This includes his ventures into the hospitality business, starting with the iconic Conor McGregor’s pub. 

In 2021, after one of his multiple “retirements”, we saw the launch of Conor McGregor’s pub after the Irishman purchased the Black Forge Inn, a traditional Irish pub in his hometown of Crumlin, Dublin. McGregor has poured a sizeable percentage of his vast fortune into it, renovating the place while maintaining its atmosphere.

The result of all of this is the finest Dublin establishment that you’re likely to visit: a high-end but affordable gastropub which blends the best of the past with the best of the present.

It’s no surprise that Conor McGregor’s pub is already a fan favourite, but the locals love the place, too. Reviewers have highlighted its welcoming and lively atmosphere, as well as its delicious food (think fancy takes on Irish classics like the beef and Guinness pie) and its first-class service. 

It’s also welcomed its fair share of celebrities, with notable visitors including Dan Bilzerian, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, and Katie Price. 

Looking ahead to the future, McGregor has suggested that he’d like to expand the brand by opening new pubs throughout Europe and the US. That doesn’t mean that he’s taken his eyes off the local area, though—his Crumlin pub sponsors local events, works with local youth clubs, and does what it can to help the local economy.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Black Forge Inn regularly reports high revenues and is constantly in the media. Unlike McGregor himself, all of the media coverage is positive, with no scandals to speak of—at least to date.

Looking Ahead to the Future

Return to the Oktagon

In recent months, fans have been asking, “When’s Conor McGregor’s next fight?” And so far, at least, there isn’t a simple answer.

With that said, there are signs that he might be preparing for a comeback fight, with recent footage showing him sparring and practicing his punches. Still, not everyone is convinced we’ll see him return any time soon. Conor McGregor UFC fans’ concern remains focused on the broken leg he suffered in 2021.

If we do see another Conor McGregor UFC bout, Michael Chandler was long touted as the most likely opponent, but UFC maestro Dana White recently shut those rumours down. Instead, we’ll likely see the Irish superstar fight someone from the lightweight or welterweight division, though who exactly that will be is anyone’s guess.

In the meantime, negotiations between the UFC and McGregor’s training camp are ongoing, but there’s a huge demand there from fans, and we can bet that if a fight did go ahead, they’d make a fortune in pay-per-view sales. 

For now, there’s no firm timeline; supporters simply hope he keeps working on his fitness while the world waits for Conor McGregor’s next fight.

The Notorious Effect

Conor McGregor’s legacy is already guaranteed, thanks to the way he became a crossover star who gave MMA mainstream appeal, in part because of his celebrity friendships and his influence on everything from fashion to the culinary world through his pub. 

Let’s not forget that he holds a ton of UFC pay-per-view records, including the record for the highest-selling event, thanks to his bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov, which sold 2.4 million buys. His boxing match against Floyd Mayweather sold over 4 million buys, making it one of the most viewed fights of any kind in history. 

It’s no wonder he’s such a cultural icon.

A Legend of our Times

As we’ve seen today, Conor McGregor has undergone a remarkable transformation — from an unknown fighter in Dublin to an MMA legend and the owner of one of the most powerful personal brands in sports entertainment.

Part of that is down to the fact that he’s been able to juggle being a successful entrepreneur with being a dedicated family man. Part of it is down to the way that he’s never shy to share his opinions, ensuring that his voice stays relevant whether he’s in the Octagon or not.

He’s a global superstar, and he knows it. And more to the point, so do we.