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While he remains the UFC’s biggest star and biggest drawing card, it’s safe to say that Conor McGregor’s popularity with the fans is probably lower now than it’s been in a few years, largely thanks to his losses to Dustin Poirier in 2021.
It’s undeniable that Conor McGregor has fallen on some hard times as of late, but does ‘The Notorious’ actually deserve more respect from the fans than he’s currently getting?
While it seems crazy to think that a star as big as the Irishman deserves more respect, the truth is that he probably does, particularly with the amount of fans who seem to doubt him now.
With that in mind, here are five reasons why Conor McGregor deserves more respect from the fans than he’s currently getting.
#5. Conor McGregor was the UFC’s first double champion
While his doubters might attempt to talk down his achievements inside the octagon, Conor McGregor will always remain part of the UFC’s history. This is simply due to the fact that he was the first fighter to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.
‘The Notorious’ first claimed gold in the featherweight division with his incredible 13-second knockout of the legendary Jose Aldo. Less than a year later, he dispatched lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to claim his second title.
Since then, three other fighters have joined McGregor on the list of the UFC’s double champions – Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo – but that doesn’t lessen the Irishman’s achievement in any way.
Over the years we’ve seen a number of truly incredible fighters, from Israel Adesanya and BJ Penn to TJ Dillashaw and Max Holloway, attempt to achieve the same thing, only to fall at the final hurdle.
The fact that McGregor was able to pull it off – and never lost either of his titles in the octagon – makes him a genuine UFC legend.
Being in the company of Cormier, Nunes and Cejudo is a huge achievement in its own right, but to pave the way for them is something else, and warrants a ton of respect.
#4. Conor McGregor has never backed down from a fight
Some UFC fans might scoff at the fact that Conor McGregor only tends to look for the biggest possible fights from a financial perspective these days. However, the truth is that unlike some of his peers, ‘The Notorious’ has never backed down from a fight.
Even in his early days with the promotion, he never really took a softball fight, as the likes of Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier were highly rated when he faced them. However, when he moved into title contention, the Irishman really demonstrated his gutsy nature.
When Jose Aldo dropped out of his scheduled featherweight title clash with McGregor, ‘The Notorious’ would’ve been well within his rights to simply wait for the Brazilian to return. Instead, he agreed to face a difficult stylistic clash in the form of Chad Mendes, and beat the wrestler impressively.
The same could be said for the fact that he fought Nate Diaz on late notice after preparing for a totally different fighter in Rafael dos Anjos. There's also the fact that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone and into the boxing ring to face Floyd Mayweather.
Even in recent years, McGregor didn’t need to face Poirier for a third time after being knocked out by him in early 2021. Instead, he agreed to a third fight, even if he eventually lost.
Essentially, while ‘The Notorious’ always looks for the fights that will make him the most money, he’s never avoided facing anyone – and that warrants a lot of respect.
#3. At his best, Conor McGregor was a truly fantastic fighter as well as an innovator
Given that he’s lost three of his last four fights and has only fought three times since the start of 2020, it’s probably easy for fans to simply dismiss Conor McGregor in terms of his fighting ability.
However, while it’s fair to say that the Irishman did not have his best showings in his two fights with Dustin Poirier in 2021, only a fool would try to claim that at his peak, he was not a genuinely fantastic fighter.
After all, his win over Chad Mendes in 2015 was only the second time that ‘Money’ had ever been finished in his MMA career. His victory over Jose Aldo later that year – which took just 13 seconds – was the first time that the Brazilian had been beaten in over a decade.
More importantly, ‘The Notorious’ was also a great innovator inside the octagon. His clever use of footwork and movement was largely unheard of when he first emerged into the UFC just under a decade ago. He was also one of the first fighters to use low-percentage strikes to set up his bigger punches.
Even in his later years, McGregor was still willing to try new things inside the octagon in order to pursue success. His use of shoulder strikes in his fight with Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is a prime example. Prior to that, nobody had done that kind of damage with those shots.
Whether ‘The Notorious’ can ever rediscover that kind of form is anyone’s guess, but it’s definitely fair to say that his fighting style at his peak warrants plenty of respect from current fans.
#2. Conor McGregor has never put on a dull fight
The UFC has had plenty of great champions over the years, from Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva to current stars such as Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman. However, while all of these fighters became stars, all of them put on the odd dull fight inside the octagon.
Conor McGregor, on the other hand, may not have been able to match the accomplishments of Silva or GSP during his time as a UFC champion, but one thing he never did was put on a boring fight.
A fan could probably watch McGregor’s whole 14-fight career with the UFC and, outside of the slower bout with Max Holloway that saw the Irishman tear his ACL, be entertained throughout.
It’s probably fair to say that his best bout came in his rematch with Nate Diaz in 2016. The two men put on a back-and-forth war for the ages that could’ve gone either way, but his wins over Eddie Alvarez, Chad Mendes and even his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov were also epic fights.
Essentially, it takes a special fighter to be able to entertain every time they step into the octagon. Few fighters have ever been able to mix together the ability to put on exciting fights and the ability to achieve greatness quite like McGregor – meaning he warrants a ton of respect.
#1. Conor McGregor helped to make the UFC a much bigger deal than it previously was
One achievement that Conor McGregor doesn’t get enough credit for is the fact that his star power was able to make the UFC into a much bigger deal than it was previously.
Sure, the promotion was a worldwide juggernaut prior to the rise of the Irishman, but it’s fair to say that since he climbed to the top of the ladder in 2015, it’s only gotten bigger and bigger.
Prior to UFC 196, which saw McGregor face Nate Diaz on late notice, only a handful of the promotion’s pay-per-views were able to draw over a million buys.
Since then, though, not only has ‘The Notorious’ headlined seven events that drew over a million buys – including the record-setting UFC 229 in 2018, which pulled in 2.4 million buys – but the promotion has also produced other events that have hit that mark, too.
As the old adage says, a rising tide lifts all boats, and that’s certainly been the case for the UFC since McGregor’s rise to fame.
There are a couple of criticisms that could be leveled at the Irishman in regards to the way he’s changed the UFC. For example. the proliferation of fighters demanding so-called “money fights” came directly from McGregor. However, there’s no denying that he’s brought far more eyeballs onto the promotion and the sport of MMA in general, and for that, he deserves some serious respect.
