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It's undeniable that Conor McGregor is still the biggest star in the UFC today. But the promotion almost missed out on the signing of a lifetime when matchmaker Sean Shelby refused to enlist the Irishman's services back in 2012.
Leaked email correspondence between Shelby and McGregor's former manager, Halli Nelson, revealed that the UFC had turned down the opportunity to recruit the Dublin native. Nelson made a big push to try to get McGregor into the octagon, but at the time, Shelby believed the featherweight division was too stacked. He wrote:
"Thanks for your email. If I can use any of your fighters, especially Conor, I will contact you. At the moment, the featherweight division is terribly impacted by so may UFC lightweights moving down in weight. So, I'm not looking to sign anyone else for a while, but hopefully, it will clear up soon and guys like Conor will get the opportunity."
At the time, Nelson's son Gunnar was signed to a UFC contract and was planning to get McGregor signed as well. Thankfully, he didn't stop emailing the UFC about his young prospect.
What finally caught the UFC's attention? A video of Conor McGregor knocking out Ivan Buchinger at Cage Warriors 51. And just like that, the UFC finally brought the Irishman in a few months after initially turning him away.
Conor McGregor skyrocketed to superstardom when he knocked Jose Aldo out in 2015 to capture the undisputed UFC featherweight title. While it came as a surprise to many, Nelson claimed he knew McGregor was destined for greatness.
“I was always sure that Conor would be a star when he got into the UFC," Nelson told MMA Fighting. "That’s what I told Joe Silva and Sean Shelby when I was writing them. Everybody was predicting this. But if course it’s been very fast. He has embraced the opportunity and put in the work."
The biggest fight of Conor McGregor's career
Conor McGregor finds himself at a crossroads in his UFC career. 'The Notorious' is on a mission to avenge his loss to rival Dustin Poirier in a much-anticipated trilogy bout set to take place at UFC 264 on July 10.
It's a must-win situation for McGregor if he wants to hang around in the UFC lightweight title picture. A second consecutive defeat to Poirier would send the Irishman behind several top contenders in the talent-rich 155-pound division.
