The entirely human obsession with sport can in part be attributed to the dramatic parallels that can be drawn to life itself. Those parallels are none more so prevalent than in combat sports.
Combat sports threatens to provide us with all the ups and downs of life. To see an up and coming fighter struggle through the hardships of life, sacrificing pleasure and comfort to make something of themselves the only way they know how, to fight.
Perhaps that is why the mixed martial artist Conor McGregor captured the hearts of so many fight fans around the world. Sure, his upbringing wasn't as tough as Mike Tyson's, however he grew up on the tough Dublin streets of Crumlin, and was struggling on the dole (welfare) whilst trying to become an elite level fighter.
McGregor often speaks of those early days - indeed he still owns the shorts he used to train in back then - fondly. He tells us how his belief that he could become the best fighter in the world drove him on, long before he could earn, or even have anyone believe he could earn enough money to make a living in mixed martial arts.
In 2013 the Irish fighter eventually joined the most lucrative mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, more often referred to as the UFC. Within two years McGregor got his chance to fight for the featherweight title against Jose Aldo.
McGregor's star shone even brighter after that bout, a lot of people expected the tough veteran Aldo to beat the Irishman. Aldo was on an eighteen fight win streak spanning his time in both the WEC and UFC promotions and was unbeaten for seven years. However, spectators that night were treated to a stunning 13-second fight, whereby McGregor ended the fight with practically the first punch of the night, a thundering left hook to the jaw of Aldo.
Then on November 12th 2016, at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York city, Conor McGregor made history by beating Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight championship. Thus becoming the first mixed martial artist to hold the belt for two different weight divisions in the UFC.
This took him closer to his ultimate goal of becoming the biggest and best fighter on the planet. He announced that he was going to take time off from the UFC to focus on his family and the imminent birth of his son. However it was the next twelve months that led up to the true defining point of McGregor's career.
The Cursed Blessing Of Floyd Mayweather
Nobody is quite sure how it started, however just a few months after becoming a double MMA UFC Champ, Conor McGregor was being touted to fight the unbeaten boxing champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather in a mega-money cross promotional event.
At first UFC President Dana White poo-pooed the idea saying that there was no way the fight could happen seeing as McGregor was contractually a UFC fighter. White was eager to capitalise on the success of his Golden Boy and wanted to make sure that Conor's first fight after beating Alvarez would be a huge pay-per-view MMA fight, not a boxing match to whit he would make no money.
However the fans wanted to see this, they buzzed every social media platform available, they wanted to see "The Notorious" McGregor take on "Money" Mayweather and they wouldn't shut up about it.
Eventually journalists started asking Floyd about the possibility of a fight between him and the Irishman. At first Mayweather - who was officially retired - was dismissive of the idea and even suggested he was more than a little insulted that anyone could compare his unblemished two-decade long career, with that of the upstart McGregor.
Conor though has always talked about his vision to be the greatest, he went on every TV show that would have him and explained that he had seen a future where he beats Mayweather, going on to become a boxing legend. He told us that the combination of the strength of his convictions and his absolute dedication to the art of fighting, along with his talent would see the fight happen.
The breaking point perhaps came when Mayweather realised two things, firstly that fans were beginning to suggest he was scared of McGregor, something that genuinely seemed to irk him. Secondly (and probably more importantly to him) that there were enough fans who wanted this fight, to make him another hundred million dollars.
Finally in June of 2017 it was announced the fight would take place that August and it looked like another epic chapter in McGregor's story was about to be written.
Ultimately McGregor lost the fight as many an expert had predicted, no matter how good he is, you can't expect somebody with zero boxing experience outside of the UFC, to beat one of the greatest boxers of all time.
End of story.
But that doesn't really tell the full story, to the casual observer, despite the loss McGregor had achieved all that he said he would. He made around ninety million dollars from the fight and now lives in the lap of luxury directly because of his absolute belief that he would take the world by storm.
However that is not taking into account his motivations and exactly what he had to go through in order to fight Floyd "Money" Mayweather.
The Paradox Of Change
Whilst the Mayweather fight gave him everything he wanted materially, it ended up taking something away from his fighting style, which ultimately has caused his downfall in MMA.
Before the super fight, McGregor used a bladed karate stance when fighting in the UFC octagon. This is sometimes called a fencing stance, it allowed him to push of his back foot and thus utilizing side kicks to the body and jabs to the head. It also gave him a platform to deliver his trademark left hook.
For the bout with Mayweather, Conor knew that he had to modify his style as kicks are obviously not allowed in a boxing match, but at the same time he wanted to bring something different into the ring, and try and use some of his martial arts experience to give Mayweather something new to think about.
This meant that he kept the bladed stance, all be it a bit narrower set, and he adjusted so that his weight was now further forward like a boxer, giving him more power.
If McGregor had been fighting a lesser boxer, then there's a chance his tactics could have worked, and indeed the Irishman did a lot better than a lot of experts predicted. To the point where he actually one the first few rounds and seem to unsettle Mayweather.
However it was these very changes, that would come back to haunt him when he came back to the UFC to fight for the lightweight title against his long-term rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Psychologically it seemed like the Mayweather fight changed McGregor's thinking. He still believed that he was the greatest lightweight, mixed martial artist in the world. However, now he also believed that because he had held his own with one of the greats, he too was also one of the greatest boxers in the world.
This was possibly the point at which Conor's self-belief turned into delusion. McGregor's first foray into the world of combat sports was in boxing, but he found out as a youngster that he was an average boxer. The move to mixed martial arts was one of necessity, he realised fairly quickly that if he was going to make it and become a champ, it wasn't going to be in boxing.
The May/Mac fight made him forget that one important fact, and when he stepped back into the octagon, he had much more of a focus on his boxing, rather than using all the tools available to allow him to strike with his hands. He was now relying on his boxing skills to get the win.
It could be argued that in his one win since returning, against a lacklustre Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, he reverted more back to his original style. However that wasn't really a good test for him.
In his most recent loss to Dustin Poirier McGregor suffered a knockout defeat for the first time in his mixed martial arts career. The change of style was made clearly apparent as Poirier delivered a series of low kicks to McGregor's front leg.
In the past Conor would have had a better chance of checking those kicks as most of his weight was on his back foot. Against Poirier his stance was closer to a pure boxing stance, with most of the weight on the front foot.
This is fine in boxing, and will allow you to use the front foot as a pivot to deliver powerful blows. In mixed martial arts it is dangerous, as it leaves you open to painful low kicks which drain your energy and effect your ability to move or even stand properly.
It's possible that McGregor was even riled up with Max Holloway's recent comments that he was the best boxer in the UFC. Indeed McGregor responded to the comments in a tweet suggesting that Holloway was wide of the mark with his statement.
At the end of the night McGregor wasn't even the best boxer in that octagon. Poirier drained his energy with low kicks and a couple of takedowns, then out boxed McGregor to the KO victory.
Back To Crumlin
In the build up to the Dustin Poirier fight, renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani asked McGregor's long-time friend and coach John Kavanagh, what was different about McGregor this time around (McGregor had previously beaten Poirier by knockout in a one-sided affair).
Kavanagh answered that when McGregor beat Poirier the first time, he was still an up and coming fighter with little money and basic training facilities. Kavanagh told Helwani that they used to prepare for fights in a dark and draughty garage in the Crumlin area of Dublin.
Now however, Kavanagh claimed, they had all the hi-tech equipment and revolutionary training methods that enabled McGregor to become a more polished fighter, much closer to the finished article.
It was probably those words, coupled with seeing McGregor roll up to Fight Island on his super yacht, that made me realise that McGregor was going to lose the fight.
That ultimately is the point, Conor has gotten far too comfortable, his sharp edge has been blunted by the trappings of success and the comfort that they bring.
Most observers believe it is doubtful that McGregor will ever be champ again. The lightweight division has moved on since he reigned over it as the undisputed king. Even with the retirement of the irrepressible Khabib, there are others there who would still be above McGregor in the pickings.
This is just the sort of challenge the old McGregor would have relished, silencing the doubters and shocking the world. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen, unless he ditches the comfort of his yachts and mansions and goes back to that cold garage in Crumlin.