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Conor McGregor is a charismatic trash talker who has redefined the term with his quick-witted responses. While the former two-divison UFC champion might be lambasted for being cocky and arrogant, it is indeed an integral part of his fighting arsenal.
What sets Conor McGregor apart from other trash talkers in the UFC is an element of humor. Instead of being outright mean, McGregor entertains fans with jokes and retorts all at the cost of his rival. Often, the Irishman's legendary trash talk has inhibited his opponents to the point of impacting their performances come fight night.
Ahead of his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, let's take a look at 5 times Conor McGregor successfully got under the skin of his opponents by playing mind games:
#5 Conor McGregor's UFC debut against Marcus Brimage
Conor McGregor was already a star in the Irish MMA scene when he made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel TV 9. While McGregor certainly capitalized on it, his Irish fans must really take the credit for annoying Brimage.
TUF 14 contestant Marcus Brimage was riding a three-fight win streak when he was matched up against Conor McGregor. Encountering trash talk for the first time in his career, Brimage told MMAJunkie.com:
"Dude, they’re all over my Facebook, talking about how he’s going to whip my ass I’m like, ‘Hey, can’t we be just a little bit more respectful?' I go to my page and put a picture up, and they say, ‘Oh, Conor is going to own your ass'. Dude, you liked my page just to tell me that s—? That’s a lot of trouble to do that. They have officially popped my cherry.”
Conor McGregor realized that Brimage had been upset by the taunting of McGregor's Irish fans, and he sensed his opponent becoming distracted. At the ceremonial square off, McGregor walked up to Brimage with his hands raised and even shoved him with his forehead. Standing inches away from Brimage, 'The Notorious' said:
"Listen, you're nearly 30 years old now [Brimage turned 28 on fight day], I think it's time to stop wearing the superhero mask."
The trash talk definitely seemed out in favor of Conor McGregor as knocked Marcus Brimage out 67 seconds into the opening round.
#4 UFC 205: Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez
UFC 205 was a historic event, marking the promotion's return to New York City after a long ban. Conor McGregor faced Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC 205.
The hype around the event also led to the shattering of the live gate record at Madison Square Garden, where it was held. Adding to the hype, McGregor and Alvarez went-back and forth in a memorable presser before the Irishman plucked the lightweight strap from Alvarez's table.
However, few can get the better of Conor McGregor when it comes to trading insults and verbal jabs. As the duo continued their war of words on ESPN’s SportCenter the Dubliner emerged as the clear winner. Ripping into Alvarez, McGregor said:
"You've been over in Japan or some shit. You've been fighting bums all your life. You've never been on this stage. You've never been against a guy like me, you're an absolute bum . You're a shitehawk. You get dropped in every fight. Look at your face. You're the most beat up guy there is."
Now a fabled trash talker in the promotion, Conor McGregor became the first double champ in UFC history with a second-round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez.
#3 UFC Fight Night: Conor McGregor vs Dennis Siver
Conor McGregor unleashed some brutal trash talk in the lead up to his fight against Dennis Siver in 2015. Conor's witticism had several fighters giggling at the pre-fight press conference.
Taking a dig at his opponent's smaller stature, Conor McGregor said:
"It makes it all that much sweeter. Especially when I'm going in against a 5-foot-5 overblown German that's too small, too slow and too stocky. It makes all the sense. I like to bully these little people."
McGregor then went on to take a dig at Siver's USADA suspension and also blamed steroid abuse for his opponent's weird appearance. Apart from a second round TKO victory for Conor McGregor, the impact of his trash talk was also proven by his opponent. The German featherweight condemned McGregor's trash talk in a later interview and labeled it inappropriate.
#2 UFC 178: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor came up as the aggressor when he faced Dustin Poirier for the first time at UFC 178. The featherweight matchup was also supposed to be a big step-up in competition for McGregor, who was yet to become the superstar that he is today.
However, the Irishman put all doubts at bay with a first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier. Poirier has since admitted that Conor McGregor's trash talk played a big role in his loss at UFC 178.
Usually a calm fighter, Dustin Poirier was visibly on his edge in the presence of 'The Notorious One'. Detailing the UFC 178 pre-fight presser, UFC broadcaster Megan Olivi said:
"I’d known Dustin for a very long time and remember seeing a marked difference in hisdemeanorr. I remember being sad that Dustin’s wife [Jolie] was going to be so stressed out by the situation, even though Conor didn’t involve her in any way. Dustin was a bit more emotional than we’d seen him before. [At the pre-fight press conference] there was a lot of animosity on stage, but Conor seemed to thrive in that, whereas with Dustin you could tell... it was taking everything in him to restrain himself."
#1 UFC 194: Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor is often said to have put an end to the career of former UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo. Once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Aldo was never the same fighter after his title loss to McGregor at UFC 194.
What is even more interesting is the trash talk that led to Conor McGregor's highlight reel knockout win over Jose Aldo. In one of the most savage trash-talking moments of his career, McGregor said:
“I own this town. I own Rio de Janeiro. I’m sitting up here with my feet on the desk. What’s anyone up there going to do about it? Not one of yous are going to do anything about it. My name, the McGregor name, my family’s motto … means royal is in my blood. That goes way back. So for [Aldo] to say he is the king and I am the joker, if this was a different time, I would invade his favela on horseback and kill anyone that was not fit to work. But we are in a new time. So I’ll whoop his ass in July.”
Conor McGregor backed up his words by dispatching Jose Aldo with a single punch 13 seconds into the opening round. The Brazilian fighter even went on to accept the benefits of trash talking later in his life.
