Conor McGregor: from plumber to UFC champ and Mayweather challenger – in pictures

From a Dublin plumber to an ultimate fighting champion, Conor McGregor has come a long way from the being the boy raised in Crumlin and Lucan. The first UFC fighter to hold two weight titles simultaneously, he crossed the divide into boxing after taking on Floyd Mayweather under Queensberry rules – losing by a 10th-round TKO

Main image: Conor McGregor, from the beginning of his UFC career in April 2013 to champion in 2016. Composite: Josh Hedges & Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

  • The Beginning

    Aged 15, McGregor’s family moved to Lucan where he joined the local boxing gym and discovered kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. Working as a plumber, training, then fighting at weekends wasn’t enough so he quit the plumbing trade. He made his way through the local MMA scene in Dublin, making his professional debut on March 8, 2008 under the tutelage of head coach John Kavanagh. His win streak grew, word began to spread and after racking up eight wins in two years, UFC President Dana White finally came calling, signing McGregor for UFC.
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight one

    v Marcus Brimage, 6 April 2013. Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden. Result: TKO, round one.McGregor lands a left onto Brimage followed by a sweet uppercut and a barrage of puches, finishing his opponent off in 67 seconds of the first round on his UFC debut
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight two

    v Max Holloway, 17 August 2013. TD Garden, Boston, Result: Unanimous decision.McGregor elbows Holloway after taking him to the ground
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor connects with a high kick
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight three

    v Diego Brandao, 19 July 2014. The O2 Dublin, Result: TKO, round one.McGregor returns to his home town after an operation on his ACL and pins Brandao with an elbow
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor unleashes a big left hook on Brandao, sending him to the floor and finishing the job with a ground and pound. After his win he announced: “We’re not here to take part. We’re here to take over.”
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Four

    v Dustin Poirier, 27 September 2014. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. Result: TKO, round one.McGregor pushes Poirier back with a reverse kick. McGeagor finished the fight with a left to the head which knocked Poirier to the floor, ending with a flurry of jabs, one minute 46 seconds into the first round
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Five

    v Dennis Siver, 18 January 2015. TD Garden, Boston. Result: TKO, round two. McGregor connects with a straight left to Siver, softening his opponent in the first round
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor sends Siver to the floor with a straight left hand and the submission soon follows after one minute 54 seconds of the second round
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Six

    v Chad Mendes, 11 July 2015. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. Result: TKO, round two.McGregor hits Mendes to the head with a left high kick
    Conor McGregor

  • Mendes, master of the take-down, punches McGregor as they grapple on the floor early in the second for more than three minutes, hurting McGregor with hard elbow shots
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor twists out of the floor action and catches Mendes with a jarring left hook, sending him to the canvas and it’s all over. McGregor wins the UFC featherweight interim title
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Seven

    v Jose Aldo, 12 December 2015. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. Result: KO, round one.Moments before the start of the most highly anticipated fight in UFC history, McGregor crouches, staring down Aldo in his first defence of his interim featherweight belt
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor lands a massive left, the second punch of the fight, knocking Aldo out after 13 seconds of round one to become the undisputed featherweight champion of the world
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor makes sure with a hammer fist as Aldo hits the deck. It is the fastest ending to a title fight in UFC history
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Eight

    v Nate Diaz, 5 March 2016. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. Result: Loss, submission, round two.An overhead view of the Octagon as Diaz pounds McGregor before turning him for the choke in the second round
    Conor McGregor

  • Diaz applies a choke hold to force McGregor to tap-out
    Conor McGregor

  • Fight Nine

    v Diaz II, 20 August, 2016. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Result: Majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47).McGregor connects with a big left that drops Diaz in the first
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor lands with a right in the second. Diaz goes down twice in the round, but Diaz fight back in the last third, applying some of his own pain on a tiring McGregor
    Conor McGregor

  • Diaz pins McGregor onto the wire for most of the third round, fighting on the inside whilst in a clinch, inflicting suffering on McGregor with a barrage of left-right combinations in the third. McGregor weathers the stormand stays on his feet to survive to the bell
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor kicks out as Diaz slips at the end of round four. Both fighters ripped into each other finding their rhythm and McGregor recovers some energy from somewhere
    Conor McGregor

  • McGregor spends most of the fifth under pressure from Diaz looking for the take-down, which he finally gets in the dying seconds of the round
    Conor McGregor

  • Possibly one of the best UFC fights of all time. Diaz and McGregor embrace after the final bell, leaving everything they had inside the octagon. McGregor gets the decision, the judges scoring it 48-47, 47-47, 48-47. Judges Jeff Mullen and Derek Cleary gave McGregor Rounds 1, 2 and 4, while Judge Jeff Mullen scored it a draw giving Diaz a 10-8 round in round 3. Mullen also gave rounds 3 and 5 to Diaz
    McGregor

  • Fight Ten

    v Alvarez, 12 November, 2016. Madison Square Garden, New York. Result: KO, round two.Alvarez made McGregor’s debut at lightweight fairly simple, continually circling towards the Irishman’s power punch. McGregor taunted Alvarez in round two, putting his hands behind his back and during their next exchange Alvarez was sat again. The end seemed inevitable, and soon enough McGregor plastered Alvarez with a four-punch sequence. Referee John McCarthy called a halt to the contest at 3:04 of the round.
    Alvarez made McGregor’s debut at lightweight fairly simple

  • Conor McGregor, the first UFC fighter to hold two titles simultaneously.
    Conor McGregor, the first UFC fighter to hold two titles simultaneously.

  • The Boxing Fight

    v Floyd Mayweather Jr, 26 August, 2017. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Result: Loss, TKO, round ten.Mayweather and McGregor come face to face during the weigh-in.
    The Boxing Fightv Floyd Mayweather Jr, 26 August, 2017. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Result: Loss, TKO, round ten.Mayweather and McGregor come face to face during the weigh-in.

  • McGregor starts well, coming out and firing on all cylinders, looking strong for the first three rounds.
    McGregor starts well, coming out and firing on all cylinders, looking strong for the first three rounds.

  • McGregor, the entertainer, drops his hands and taunts Mayweather.
    McGregor, the entertainer, drops his hands and taunts Mayweather.

  • But, it’s not long before the Mayweather action plan comes into action, as Floyd waits for Irishman to tire and starts the hunt for his win.
    But, it’s not long before the Mayweather action plan comes into action, as Floyd waits for Irishman to tire and starts the hunt for his win.

  • Mayweather lands a big right hand, ultimately the American’s skills prove too much.
    Mayweather lands a big right hand, ultimately the American’s skills prove too much.

  • Referee Robert Byrd stops the fight in the 10th round after Mayweather lets go a barrage of punches, pinning McGegor to the ropes.
    Referee Robert Byrd stops the fight in the 10th round after Mayweather lets go a barrage of punches, pinning McGegor to the ropes.

  • Respect for both fighters.
    Respect for both fighters.

  • Conor McGregor, whiskey in hand, is all smiles despite his defeat and says he would be open to a return to the boxing ring in the future.
    Conor McGregor, whiskey in hand, is all smiles despite his defeat and says he would be open to a return to the boxing ring in the future.
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