Conor McGregor is, perhaps, the most famous MMA athlete on the planet.
He is, for sure, one of those fighters that helped mixed martial arts skyrocket in popularity.
But it appears that Dana White – UFC’s president – didn’t really know about “The Notorious” before a trip to Ireland back in the day…
When he was approached by many MMA fans in a Dublin bar, emphasizing that McGregor could be a great asset to the UFC.
Not long after that, Sean Shelby – who helped find new fighters for UFC and was already aware of McGregor’s talent – signed the Irish fighter to the UFC.
Soon after, Dana White went on a dinner with McGregor.
He called his friend Lorenzo Fertitta afterwards and said:
Dude, I don’t know if this kid can fight or not, but if he can even throw a punch, he’s gonna be a huge superstar.
So, it was Conor’s personality that drew Dana to seal the deal with him…
And, as they say, the rest is history.
McGregor not only showed that he could “throw a punch”, but that he could fight brilliantly.
He defeated top fighters like Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier, climbing up the ranks quickly. In 2016, he had won titles in two different weight classes, showing that he indeed was a “huge superstar”.
Since 2016, McGregor’s victories have been less frequent…
But he remains a big name in the fighting world.
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