Conor McGregor's decline from UFC champion to controversy

Conor McGregor's career collapse began the moment Floyd Mayweather stopped him in the tenth round seven years ago. The Irishman walked away with a reported $100 million for less than thirty minutes of work, and UFC president Dana White knew immediately what that kind of money does to a fighter. "Try to get up every day and get punched in the face when you have $100 million in the bank," White told reporters in November 2017, per ESPN. "Money changes everything."

What followed was a nine-year spiral documented in a retrospective by ESPN's Andreas Hale. Since the Mayweather bout, McGregor has logged one UFC win — a forty-second demolition of Donald Cerrone in January 2020 — and suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Poirier. The inactivity tells only part of the story. McGregor stormed the loading dock at Barclays Center in April 2018 and hurled a metal dolly through a bus window, injuring three fighters including Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg. White called it "the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company."

Legal troubles and assault allegations mount

The bus attack resulted in three assault charges after McGregor turned himself in to the NYPD. That same year, he was involved in a post-fight brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov's team following his submission loss at UFC 229. Arrest records in Dublin and Miami followed, along with multiple investigations into sexual assault allegations that have dogged McGregor's public profile. The UFC stripped him of his lightweight title in March 2018 due to inactivity, ending a reign that never saw him defend the belt.

Combat photographer Esther Lin, who captured the iconic Toronto staredown between McGregor and Mayweather during their 2017 world tour, told ESPN that the Irishman realized his star power matched the undefeated boxer's during those promotional stops. "He certainly embraced it during the tour and knew exactly how to ride that to the top," she said. The problem was what came after — the three-piece suits gave way to mink coats and racially charged trash talk, and the $130 million payday dwarfed anything MMA could offer. McGregor's disclosed purse for beating Eddie Alvarez in 2016 was $6.8 million.

White predicted in 2017 that McGregor might never fight again. The forecast was nearly correct. McGregor has competed twice in the cage since October 2018, both against Poirier, and his next bout remains unscheduled as legal issues and injuries pile up.

Source: espn.com