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Conor McGregor recently reacted to a fan praising him for bringing the sport of MMA to the limelight. The Irishman believes that he didn't get the credit for his work, however, he got the money.
A fan with the handle @FonzoOnMMA posted a chart on Twitter showing that total fighter payments in a calendar year. The chart peaked significantly from 2015. The timeline matches perfectly with McGregor's meteoric rise to fame. Here's how the Irishman reacted to it:
"I didn’t get the credit, I just got the cash. It’s all love."
The sport of MMA has been gaining popularity since the UFC's first event in 1993. While there have been many notable stars over the years, no one has come close to Conor McGregor in terms of stardom.
His charismatic personality, smooth trash-talking and superb fighting skills inside the octagon drew eyeballs from the moment he got into the UFC. 'The Notorious' has always had an aura about him that has attracted fans' attention. McGregor showed new limits both in terms of money and attention that MMA fighters can acquire.
Watch this video of Conor McGregor's rise to fame:
In the aforementioned chart, the total fighters' pay took a hike from 72 million to 113 million between 2014 and 2015. It further raised to 148 million by 2016, which was when McGregor was at the top of his game and won UFC championships in two weight classes.
What's next for Conor McGregor in the UFC?
'The Notorious' has not been his usual self inside the octagon lately. He has won only one out of his last four UFC fights. The Irishman is currently competing in the lightweight division, however, he hasn't won a fight in that weight class since his title-winning fight against Eddie Alvarez in 2016.
To make things worse for him, McGregor suffered a painful leg injury in his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He has been undergoing recovery since and has recently returned to boxing training.
Many have tipped him to fight the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje upon his return. However, there are other top contenders like Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush looking to fight for the title. It will be interesting to see who the Irishman fights when he is ready to get back inside the octagon.
