Before Conor McGregor became a household name in mixed martial arts and one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, his journey was marked by modest beginnings.

The Irish fighter’s path from an apprentice plumber in Dublin to the pinnacle of MMA success is a true story of ambition, perseverance, and the success.
And, well, it was his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in 2013 that set the stage for what was to come.

In a recent interview with the GQ Sports, McGregor even admitted to wearing a fake Rolex in the beginning:

You ever hear the term, you gotta fake it til you make it? Before anything, I was getting the fake ones.
I was rockin’ the fake ones proud.

Funny enough, my first ever real watch that I got was a gift post-UFC Dublin, which was in [2014] and it was a gift for me from Lorenzo Fertitta who was the owner of the UFC at the time.
He gifted me a solid gold Rolex Sky Dweller.

McGregor underscored the importance of having the belief in yourself before the success can come:

So after the belt, I won the belt. Got a knockout in the first round.
It was a mega-successful event.

We all went out to dinner after with the Fertitta family and they gifted me this Rolex. It was my first real watch.
Before that, I was at the press conference wearing a fake one.

You gotta fake it til you make it.