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Conor McGregor is unquestionably the biggest star in all of MMA. 'Mystic Mac' has stayed relevant regardless of whether he wins or loses and is still the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport. Usually, it takes a collective effort between two fighters for a fight to become a success on pay-per-view. However unlike other stars, McGregor has been able to sell all his fights no matter the opponent.
McGregor hasn’t shied away from making his fights personal with his opponents and isn’t afraid of crossing the line at times. In the past, McGregor has brought up family, religion, and culture in the leadup to his fights. His antics may not leave a flattering impression on some fans. However, it made him a lot of money and created many opportunities for him both as a fighter and entrepreneur.
‘The Notorious’ has achieved a great deal of success in his career. He is a former two-division UFC champion that every fighter wants to compete against because of the financial benefits. This list will look at the top 5 Conor McGregor rivalries.
#5. McGregor vs. Jose Aldo
McGregor’s rivalry with Jose Aldo is significant because it was his first major rivalry in the UFC. After ascending to the top of the UFC featherweight division, McGregor earned a shot against Aldo after defeating Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight strap. At the time, Aldo was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world and one of the UFC’s most dominant champions.
There was a lot of bad blood between McGregor and Aldo. The UFC had both fighters take part in an international press tour that saw them participate in multiple press conferences. ‘The Notorious’ took advantage of every opportunity there was a live mic available to antagonize Aldo.
McGregor and Aldo finally fought at UFC 194, where McGregor shocked the MMA world by knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds. The event was a massive success for the promotion. The pay-per-view generated 1.2 million pay-per-view buys and catapulted McGregor to superstardom. ‘The Notorious’ became a hot commodity for the UFC and helped fill the void left by Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre.
#4. McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather
Another one of Conor McGregor’s best rivalries was with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. McGregor was fresh off of his win over Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC lightweight champion. With the win, he now had a championship in two weight-classes simultaneously. McGregor also set various UFC pay-per-view buyrate records, which caught Mayweather's attention.
Mayweather had been a box-office attraction for years, and a boxing fight against the biggest star in the UFC was appealing. McGregor earned a reputation for his knockout power and competing against one of the greatest boxers of all-time was intriguing for both boxing and MMA fans alike. The two had gone back-and-forth on social media and it wasn’t long before the fight was made official.
The press tour was a spectacle with each stop providing memorable moments between the two. Mayweather would regularly bring up his wealth compared to McGregor, something that changed after the bout. The MMA fanbase rallied behind McGregor and hoped he’d be able to do the unthinkable and hand Mayweather his first loss.
All things considered, McGregor did surprisingly well against Mayweather. Winning several of the early rounds in most fans view. However, Mayweather still got his hand raised after defeating McGregor by tenth-round TKO. The fight was billed as ‘The Money Fight’ and it lived up to the hype.
'The Money Fight' generated 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in North America, making it the second-largest pay-per-view bout of all-time.
#3. McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Dustin Poirier intensified this year after things got personal after their second bout. The rivalry began early in their UFC careers and the two fighters have evolved a great deal since 2014.
The first bout took place at UFC 178. At the time, both McGregor and Poirier were two young fighters looking to get into title contention. In the end, it took McGregor only 1:47 to finish Poirier by TKO and pick up a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
The second fight was a much different story. With Khabib Nurmagomedov recently retired, McGregor vs. Poirier II had title implications and this time Poirier got the win.
Unlike the first fight, there wasn’t animosity between the two in leading into the rematch. This time, Poirier picked up the TKO win after dropping 'The Notorious' with a right-hand against the fence in the second round.
There was clear animosity between the two in the third fight, mainly stemming from McGregor talking trash about Poirier's wife. Poirier defeated McGregor for a second time by TKO. Poirier was awarded the TKO win via a doctor's stoppage after McGregor sustained a leg injury at the end of the first round.
Based on the aftermath of the third fight, this could be a rivalry that the UFC revisits in 2022.
#2. McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Another of Conor McGregor’s biggest rivalries was with former TUF winner Nate Diaz. The rivalry began when Diaz called out McGregor following his win over Michael Johnson in 2015. Diaz got his wish at UFC 196, when then-UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos withdrew from his bout with McGregor.
After Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar declined the opportunity to step in, Diaz accepted the fight on short notice.
The fight was contested at welterweight and saw Diaz submit then-UFC featherweight champion McGregor in the second round. McGregor was adamant about getting a rematch with Diaz and a full training camp, and that’s exactly what happened. The UFC booked their rematch for UFC 202 and it was once again contested at 170lbs.
The press conferences got heated at times, but they helped sell the fight in a big way. At the time, UFC 202 became the highest grossing UFC pay-per-view with 1.65 million pay-per-view buys. The rematch lived up to the hype and ended with McGregor avenging his loss by majority decision. The two have continued to be linked with a trilogy bout, but nothing has come to fruition as of now.
#1. McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
The former UFC lightweight champions were involved in a heated rivalry for years. The infamous bus incident during UFC 223 fight week only made matters worse between the two. They traded insults on social media and they finally got their chance to fight at UFC 229.
The undefeated Nurmagomedov looked to legitimize his reign by defeating McGregor, who was stripped of the title. In the leadup, it was clear that 'The Eagle' had an advantage in wrestling and grappling, and McGregor’s advantage was striking. McGregor did well defending takedowns early on in the fight. However, Nurmagomedov ended up securing a takedown and did plenty of damage.
One would think the two would shake hands after 'The Eagle' submitted 'The Notorious' in the fourth-round. Instead, that wasn’t the case as the champion flew over the cage and attacked McGregor’s team. A brawl then ensued, which resulted in both Nurmagomdov and McGregor receiving suspensions.
Regardless of what took place post-fight, UFC 229 is still the highest grossing UFC pay-per-view in the promotion’s history. UFC 229 generated 2.4 million pay-per-view buys and is the reason UFC President Dana White tried to book a rematch multiple times.
However, in 2020, Nurmagomedov retired from the sport after defending his title against Justin Gaethje and put talk of a rematch to rest.
