Fight fans will likely look back on the Conor McGregor years as the most entertaining in the history of the sport.
As political correctness continues to go madder and madder, we probably won’t see another trash-talker in MMA who gets away with as much as McGregor does.
There’s a reason that UFC 202, the most recent pay-per-view to be headlined by McGregor, reportedly overtook UFC 100 in pay-per-view buys and it’s down to the interest that he merits from his skills on the microphone.
His legendary sound bites and unmissable press conference antics make McGregor must-see television and fight fans continue to tune in in record numbers to get a glimpse at the latest piece of unpredictability from the Irishman.
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was recently asked about ‘The Notorious’ and his impact on the sport and he came up with the perfect analogy.
“He brings more eyes. I think he’s the anti-hero,” Cormier told TSN.
“He is Stone Cold Steve Austin from 2000. The guy that you’re supposed to kind of root against, but you want to root for.
“Everything that he does before would have gotten people to boo you. But it’s like they’ve taken to it.
“It’s something so different than what they’re used to seeing that people love it. I think it’s fine.”
McGregor’s apparent ability to call the shots and simply do what he wants in the UFC is not unlike the storylines that made Stone Cold Steve Austin such a popular figure during the Attitude Era of the WWF.
And we can only dream of the day that McGregor showers UFC president Dana White in Guinness.
In the latest GAA Hour, we talk to Ken McGrath of Waterford and with Declan Brennan about a new club players’ association.
