What’s the story?
Controversy’s favorite-child, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) super-star Conor McGregor has managed to land in controversy yet again. McGregor was recently spotted cruising in his sports car through the streets of Dublin, Ireland. His stationary car was approached at a traffic-stop in Dublin by a fan. The said fan tried to record a video of himself next to McGregor and ‘Notorious’ didn’t seem to take too kindly. In a viral video, McGregor and a man, presumably in his twenties, appear to have a brief push-and-shove. McGregor failed to grab the man’s cell-phone after which he rolled up his car-window and sped away.
In case you didn’t know...
Conor McGregor (21-3) is the current UFC Lightweight (LW/155 pound) champion and the former UFC Featherweight (FW/145 pound) champion. Presently, he is on a 10 month paternity leave from the UFC in order to support his girlfriend Dee Devlin, with whom he’s expecting his first child. Although McGregor is considered to be an extremely vulnerable champion, especially at 155 pounds; he holds incredible leverage over the UFC as of today. After the departure and long-layoffs of several top UFC stars such as Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey, McGregor is the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the UFC and the biggest draw in all of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
The heart of the matter:
McGregor is anything, but shy. ‘Notorious’ neither shies away from the spotlight, nor from confrontations- physical or verbal. However this cell-phone-grabbing or cell-phone-shoving incident, whatever you may perceive it as; may come as a surprise to many given that McGregor has always been cordial and friendly with fans in the past. In the half-minute video that has gone viral on social media, McGregor appears quite annoyed by his ‘fan’. However, the entire fiasco didn’t seem to have changed the young fan’s excitement on making his idol’s acquaintance. The fan seemed to be extremely happy and unable to conceal his excitement even after being snubbed by ‘Notorious’.
What’s Next?
As of now top LW contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are set to face each other at UFC 209 in Las Vegas, Nevada for the interim-UFC LW title. McGregor is likely to return to the Octagon around August this year, however his apparent interest in a boxing mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. has forced the UFC to schedule the interim title fight at UFC 209. With the UFC and McGregor trying to bluff each other, it’ll be real fun to see who blinks first.
Sportskeeda’s Take:
McGregor is a savvy businessman and is excellent at marketing his brand. He has been cordial with MMA fans in the past which is why this incident should be regarded as an exception and not the norm. As far as the incident is concerned, the young man in the video seemed amused and dealt with the ‘Notorious’ snub in a light-hearted manner- No harm, no foul.
That said, McGregor is known for having orchestrated elaborate pranks in the past. Whether cell-phone-gate was real or just a ‘Notorious’ prank remains to be seen. Stay tuned in for more ‘Notorious’ antics.
