I knew it. Always knew it. Surely didn’t I tell ya. Always said that about him. Always said he was a scumbag….
No sooner had Conor McGregor reached a worrying nadir than the outbursts began.
Quicker than a hand trolley flung through a bus window, they tweeted, commented and decried. Hatred mixed with derision and pure glee.
Told you he was no good.
McGregor’s true colours had finally been shown, it was claimed. Here was the wannabe gangster and thug graduating with full dishonour in such a sorry way. UFC employees injured in a fracas as a bus full of fighters, undergoing the rigours of weight cuts, came under attack from McGregor and several members of his fired up entourage.
UFC president Dana White is no saint but it was hard to disagree with this comment:
“This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”
Some going.
One of the most reprehensible aspects of the whole, pitiful mess is the fact that female fighters Felice Herrig and straw-weight champion Rose Namajunas were caught up in the incident. Namajunas, who once declared that she wanted to use her ‘gift of martial arts to make the world a better place’ was said to be considerably shaken by events and walked back to her hotel.
Involving women in a planned ambush of Khabib Nurmagomedov and injuring UFC fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg are two by-products of lunacy, and idiocy, that the Dubliner will struggle to live down for years to come. He may fight again but he has now lost the respect of so many fighters in a sport he grew up cherishing and yearning to be a part of.
For many, though, pictures of McGregor in handcuffs and mug-shots was the inevitable, filthy path that the always envisioned ‘The Notorious’ heading down.
There it is. Conor McGregor's mug shot (via @rMMAmod). pic.twitter.com/nLHMgA71eU
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 6, 2018
‘Ireland, baby, we did it!’
The post-fight declarations, as Conor McGregor’s hand was raised in victory, time and time again, were such brilliant highlights for the man, his family and his legions of fans.
After he claimed his first belt, the interim featherweight title, at UFC 189, he declared:
“Right now, this is my night, this is Ireland’s night… The Irish people that supported me, I swear to God, I did it for us.”
For those that followed McGregor’s journey, these victories and speeches were the fuel and the fire. McGregor was always at his most humble and honest after he had done battle, winner or loser.
Greater deeds were achieved at UFC 194 and UFC 205 as he became undisputed featherweight and lightweight champion. “Ireland, baby… we did it!”
Many Irish fans revelled in McGregor’s successes and bought into his story, lock and stock – a humble young man from Crumlin who gave up a fledgling career as a plumber to focus on his MMA dreams and got himself off the dole to become the first ever con-current ‘Champ Champ’ in UFC history.
Those that are committed to McGregor, and his story, will cling in on the hope of redemption. Their hero will have to take the flak and it has been coming in truckloads. The naysayers? They are having a field day.
Words such as scumbag, knacker, gangster, thug and much worse have appeared alongside the Dubliner’s name on social media and across the national airwaves. The brash poppy has been scythed down and may never rise so high again. A large section of Irish society are high on pontification.
It is the same back-biting and gloating so many of our Irish sports stars have been forced to endure in recent years. They flew too high and were often showered in unnecessary hyperbole. The had to pay a hard price when they fell short. Similar fates have been suffered by Aidan O’Shea, James McClean, Diarmuid Connolly, Austin Gleeson and other leading lights. Never let them forget where they came from.
What many are forgetting is that a glut of us helped create and feed the McGregor persona. His press conference persona and stunts were celebrated and reported upon. He was declared as one of the best ever MMA stars to ‘sell’ a pay-per-view.
Many believed McGregor and Nate Diaz ‘cut a promo’ when they flung water bottles and cans of energy drinks at each other – without much thought for fans and staff in attendance – at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference. Both men received north of $10m for their rematch but were given paltry fines and sanctions.
It was tantamount to a gentle wrist-slap while those in the background slapped backs and marvelled at the PPV numbers. Same again next time, please.
Many opted to get off McGregor train as it threatened to completely run away with itself during the mawkish side-shows around his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Toronto was the highlight of the whole affair, weeks out from the fight, but Brooklyn was a shit-show. McGregor found himself apologising for some demeaning comments and, quite frankly, looked jaded under the heavy glare.
Less than a year later and he was back in Brooklyn again, taking part in loading dock raids that would not be amiss from World Wrestling Entertainment were it not for the very real injuries and consequences. Chiesa and Borg were both pulled from their UFC 223 bouts on medical advice.
One hopes this is the wake-up call a man who was previously so focused and dedicated on sporting glory will use to get himself back on track.
He has a long way to go to get back to the vaunted, respected position he was held in, by legions, back in 2014-2016. The truth is that he will probably never get anywhere near.
What he needs now is to step away from the cronies and those who fawn over him. He needs to get back to the place where he made a vow to John Kavanagh, his coach, to dedicate himself towards being the very best.
If he cannot find his way back, he should step away. He will have offers to fight again but, without a fundamental change in his being, he will only chew himself from the inside out.
It is time too look away now but, unless something drastic and life-altering happens, many of us will continue to rubber-neck until the bleak end.
