In a relatively short space of time Conor McGregor has gone from a nobody to become one of the most recognisable personalities in Irish sport.
In fact he may be one of the most recognisable faces in Irish life.
McGregor’s profile has grown rapidly in the US too, as the amount of advertisements featuring his face during the Super Bowl in February prove.
But, hard as it may seem to believe, McGregor, and the sport of MMA has a whole, has not yet fully infiltrated all areas of the globe.
The sport is rapidly rising in the UK but UFC fighters do not yet have the same profile of boxers in Britain. But McGregor is often seen as the man the UFC will use to break and conquer Europe.
The BBC seem well aware of the McGregor phenomenon and dispatched a reporter to Dublin last week to soak up to boisterous end to the World Tour to promote the Dubliner’s title fight against Jose Aldo in Las Vegas on July 11.
Their dispatch from Dublin profiles McGregor, and the sport of MMA as a whole and, as an outsider account, makes for fascinating reading.
Slick suits, a sharp swagger and Rolex watches outside of competition; threatening tattoos, precise technique and ruthless aggression inside the octagon. McGregor is a colourful and controversial figure.
There is no denying that McGregor has made a name for himself and has certainly garnered the attention of fans, fighters, sponsors and media alike. But at what expense?
His trash-talk and comical one-liners are as impressive as his fighting abilities, but they have also caused a lot of controversy with people who find him rude and disrespectful.
When questioned on his motives for fighting, he mentions that his “family history is bled on the battlefield, royalty is in our blood… it makes complete sense to me that I am doing what I am doing and in the manner that I am doing it. We are not here to take part, we are here to take over,” he declares.
