The 2010s, arguably the most important decade in the history of mixed martial arts, is coming to a close. One reason why the past 10 years have been so pivotal to the sport is the sheer talent that exists across all divisions – men and women, from flyweight (which didn’t even exist until February 2012) to heavyweight. Simply put, the number of great fighters to grace cages and rings across the world never has been higher.
Here at MMA Junkie, we’ve put together a staff-wide, composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the past decade, which we’ll reveal Monday-Friday until Dec. 27. Today, we reflect on No. 5: Conor McGregor.
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When compiling a list of MMA’s greatest fighters of the last decade, it’s simply impossible to ignore the name of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]. No fighter has transcended the sport more, no athlete has leveraged his brand better, and, while others on our list have had greater sustained success inside the octagon, McGregor’s incredible career over the last 10 years has redefined the sport and taken it to new heights of exposure and popularity that no other fighter can match.
When the decade began, McGregor was a rising prospect in Ireland, but his sixth professional fight ended in defeat when he was arm-triangled by Joe Duffy in his Cage Warriors debut. It proved to be the catalyst for an eight-fight, eight-finish, winning streak as he powered his way to the Cage Warriors featherweight title, then the Cage Warriors lightweight title, thanks to a highlight-reel one-punch knockout of Ivan Buchinger on New Year’s Eve, 2012.
That finish, and the wild scenes that followed inside The Helix in Dublin, sparked a campaign to get McGregor onto the biggest stage in the sport. UFC president Dana White duly obliged by booking the Irish star against Marcus Brimage in April 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden. McGregor proved he belonged, with a 67-second finish of Brimage, then went on to defeat a young Max Holloway by decision before producing the breakout moment of his career.
The 3Arena – then known as The O2 Arena – in Dublin was packed to the rafters for McGregor’s homecoming at UFC Fight Night 46 on a night that will go down as one of the most riotous events in UFC history. Irish fighters went 5-0 on the night, with McGregor’s first-round finish of Diego Brandao producing a roar from the crowd that has rarely, if ever, been matched at a UFC event since.
McGregor then went on to give the first of many instantly quotable interviews as he finished his post-fight interview with a memorable, prophetic sign-off: “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over!”
McGregor’s performance that night – and the reaction of the passionate Dublin crowd – showed the world that the UFC had a new star on its hands with a powerful, raucous fanbase in his corner. The big question was just how high could he go?
We would soon have our answer, when stoppage wins over Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver put him in line for a shot at Jose Aldo’s featherweight title at UFC 189. But, after an eventful global promotional tour, a late rib injury ruled the champion out of the matchup just two weeks from fight night.
Rather than withdraw from the event and bide his time, McGregor accepted an interim title match with a man many expected to be his Kryptonite, heavy-handed wrestling powerhouse Chad Mendes. Despite being taken down on multiple occasions, McGregor kept bouncing back up and finished Mendes on a memorable night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to capture his first UFC title.
But if McGregor’s win over Mendes was special, his eventual title unification bout with Aldo was unforgettable. With anticipation levels reaching fever pitch, the pair finally met inside the octagon at UFC 194 in December 2015, as McGregor made good on his pre-fight prediction of an early finish with a stunning 13-second, one-punch knockout of the champion, who hadn’t lost in a decade. It was the punch heard around the world, and it catapulted McGregor to the very top of the sport. The hype was real.
McGregor then had arguably the two most thrilling bouts of his UFC career in 2016 as he faced Nate Diaz twice in a pair of welterweight bouts that produced two of the biggest pay-per-view gates in UFC history. The first saw a shocking conclusion, as Diaz first rocked, then submitted McGregor at UFC 196. But rather than shrink from his first defeat in half-a-decade, McGregor showed up at the post-fight press conference, owned his loss and vowed to return. He then rematched Diaz five months later at UFC 202 and claimed a majority decision win in one of the fights of the decade at T-Mobile Arena.
Following his back-to-back classics with Diaz, McGregor then set his sights on UFC history as he headlined UFC 205, the promotion’s first event at iconic Madison Square Garden. And the Irishman lit up the famous arena with arguably the most complete performance of his career as he dropped lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez five times en route to a second-round TKO victory. It meant he captured the 155-pound title and, in the process, became a simultaneous two-division champion – the UFC’s first “champ-champ.”
After his big win in The Big Apple, McGregor set his sights beyond MMA and put his UFC career on the back burner as he chased a megabucks boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Despite the idea being widely dismissed and ridiculed in both MMA and boxing circles, the fight was made for Aug. 26, 2017. While McGregor eventually lost via 10th-round TKO, he impressed many with his performance against the 50-0 all-time great. And although he didn’t win in the ring, McGregor certainly won at the box office, as he took home a sum believed to be in excess of $85 million for his night’s work.
Since then, McGregor’s career has sadly been more about his out-of-cage exploits than his performances inside it. His rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov spilled over into violence, both before and after their fight at UFC 229, while a host of unsavory non-sporting news stories – including reports of two alleged sexual assaults – saw McGregor’s name in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
But now it seems McGregor could be on his way back. He is all set to kick off the UFC’s 2020 pay-per-view schedule with a blockbuster clash against perennial fan favorite Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, and he has been linked to a potential title rematch with Nurmagomedov further down the line, while there have also been suggestions of a possible run at the title at 170 pounds. There’s also the distant possibility of a rematch with Mayweather, with the boxer recently stating his intention to work with White in 2020 and beyond.
Over the course of the last decade McGregor has attracted headlines both good and bad, and his career certainly hasn’t been without controversy. But there can be little doubt that his impact on the sport has played a pivotal role in the success the UFC is enjoying today. And that impact, combined with his memorable performances, his larger-than-life character and the sheer level of excitement that surrounds the UFC every time he fights, means he’s a slam-dunk top-five entry on our fighters of the decade list.
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