Conor McGregor

McGregor opened with a jumping kick but landed awkwardly, and repeated instability made an injury to his right knee apparent. The referee stopped the bout at 1:09 of round one, awarding Holloway the TKO.

Key moments

• McGregor opened with a jumping kick and landed awkwardly.
• Repeated instability made the right-knee injury apparent.
• The referee stopped the bout at 1:09 of round one and Holloway received the TKO.

The trilogy decider ended in horror: McGregor's lower left leg fractured as he backpedalled in the closing seconds of round one, and the fight was waved off between rounds. He had already been opened up and was trailing on output when the injury ended his night.

Key moments

• Suffered a fractured lower left leg in the final seconds of round one.
• Doctor stoppage between rounds gave Poirier the TKO.
• McGregor left the arena on a stretcher and had surgery.
• His last appearance before a near-five-year layoff.

Poirier systematically chopped at McGregor's lead leg with calf kicks, eroded his movement, then dropped him with a combination and finished with ground strikes at 2:32 of round two — the first knockout loss of McGregor's career.

Key moments

• First KO/TKO loss of McGregor's career.
• Calf kicks visibly compromised his mobility before the finish.
• Avenged Poirier's 2014 featherweight loss to McGregor.
• Held on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.

A 40-second blitz at welterweight. McGregor opened with shoulder strikes in the clinch that bloodied Cerrone, then landed a head kick and follow-up shots for the stoppage — his first outing since the 2018 Khabib loss.

Key moments

• Finished in 40 seconds — one of the fastest wins of his career.
• Unusual shoulder strikes in the opening clinch set up the finish.
• His first fight back after the UFC 229 loss to Khabib.

In the biggest-selling pay-per-view in UFC history at the time, Khabib controlled the lightweight title fight on the mat, rocked McGregor with a right hand and forced a tap to a neck crank at 3:03 of round four. A multi-person brawl erupted immediately after.

Key moments

• Lightweight title fight — McGregor tapped to a neck crank in round four.
• Reported ~2.4 million PPV buys, a UFC record at the time.
• A post-fight brawl drew commission fines and suspensions.

The welterweight rematch, five months after Diaz had submitted him. McGregor leaned on heavy leg kicks and counter lefts, scored early knockdowns, survived a late Diaz surge and edged a majority decision in a 2016 Fight of the Year.

Key moments

• Majority decision (48–47, 48–47, 47–47) avenging the UFC 196 loss.
• McGregor scored multiple early knockdowns.
• Diaz rallied late and rocked McGregor in round two.
• Widely named the 2016 Fight of the Year.

McGregor scored three knockdowns in the first round and finished Alvarez at 3:04 of the second to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. The fight took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, the first UFC event ever held in the state.

Key moments

• First fighter in UFC history to hold two divisional titles at the same time.
• Three knockdowns in the first round before the second-round TKO.
• First UFC event at Madison Square Garden, a historic venue debut.
• Alvarez absorbed repeated left hands and could not answer McGregor's pace.

Diaz stepped in on 11 days' notice after Rafael dos Anjos withdrew, and delivered the biggest upset of McGregor's career. McGregor controlled the first round on the feet, but gassed in the second, got wobbled by a Diaz combination, shot for a takedown and had his back taken — Diaz locked in the rear-naked choke at 4:12 of round two.

Key moments

• Snapped McGregor's 15-fight winning streak.
• Diaz accepted the fight on 11 days' notice after dos Anjos pulled out.
• Contested at 170 lb because Diaz had no time to cut weight.
• McGregor shot a desperate takedown after being wobbled, gifting Diaz the back.

Thirteen seconds. McGregor feinted, drew a lunging right from Aldo, and countered with a precise left hook that dropped the long-reigning champion instantly — the fastest knockout in UFC title-fight history. It ended Aldo's nine-year unbeaten run and announced McGregor as the sport's defining figure.

Key moments

• Fastest finish in UFC title-fight history at 13 seconds.
• Ended José Aldo's unbeaten streak stretching back nearly a decade.
• A counter left hook off Aldo's own lunging attack was the decisive shot.
• McGregor had predicted the exact finish during the promotional build-up.

The hardest fight of McGregor's career to that point, contested for the interim featherweight title. Mendes repeatedly took him down and opened a cut in the first round, then dominated the second on the mat with ground-and-pound — but McGregor escaped and erupted with left hands in the final seconds, stopping Mendes at 4:57 of round two.

Key moments

• Interim UFC featherweight title bout in front of 16,019 at the MGM Grand.
• Mendes dominated the grappling exchanges and opened a cut over McGregor's eye.
• McGregor escaped a late guillotine attempt and landed his left in the closing seconds.
• Most complete test of McGregor's early UFC career — and he passed it.

McGregor headlined TD Garden in Boston and made short work of Siver, using his length and timing to control the striking before landing a straight left that sent Siver into the fence in round two. The finish set up the José Aldo featherweight title bout.

Key moments

• Held at TD Garden in Boston before a partisan crowd.
• McGregor's movement and reach advantage made Siver look outclassed.
• A straight left hand to Siver's face set up the TKO finish in round two.
• Victory earned McGregor the long-awaited featherweight title shot against Aldo.

McGregor pressured Poirier with mixed attacks before a left hand caught a ducking Poirier on the temple and sent him to the canvas, where follow-up ground strikes forced the stoppage at 1:46 of round one. The finish drew controversy over the placement of the blow but stood.

Key moments

• First meeting between two fighters who would later headline three PPVs together.
• Left hand landed as Poirier ducked, raising questions about legality — the referee let it stand.
• Finished in 1:46 of round one at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
• Extended McGregor's win streak and built the case for a featherweight title shot.

McGregor headlined his first UFC card in Ireland, performing in front of a sold-out home crowd at The 3Arena in Dublin. He stopped the hard-swinging Brandão with body work and a right hand in round one, earning a Performance of the Night bonus and cementing his status as Ireland's MMA star.

Key moments

• First UFC main event in front of a home crowd in Dublin.
• A body shot followed by a right hand dropped Brandão before the TKO at 4:05.
• Cole Miller was the original opponent; Brandão stepped in as a late replacement.
• Earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

McGregor outworked the 21-year-old Holloway across three rounds with his southpaw striking and earned a unanimous decision in a fight neither man headlined. Notable for two reasons: McGregor tore his ACL mid-fight but gutted out the win, and it was the last time either man lost inside the featherweight division for years.

Key moments

• McGregor tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the fight but completed all three rounds.
• Neither fighter was on the main card — they stole the show from the undercard.
• Unanimous decision improved McGregor to 14-2 overall and 2-0 in the UFC.
• The only loss of Holloway's early career; both men became future champions.

McGregor's UFC debut — held in Stockholm, Sweden — was over in 67 seconds. He overwhelmed Brimage with fast combinations and finished with a right-left flurry on the ground, earning Knockout of the Night honours and introducing himself to a global audience.

Key moments

• Official UFC debut, finished in 1:07 of round one.
• Won the Knockout of the Night bonus — his first UFC performance bonus.
• McGregor called his shot before the fight, saying he would finish Brimage quickly.
• Held in Stockholm; McGregor was still largely unknown outside Ireland.

On New Year's Eve in Dublin, McGregor slipped a one-two from Buchinger and landed a counter left hand that dropped the Slovak instantly, winning the Cage Warriors lightweight title. He now held both the featherweight and lightweight belts simultaneously — a first for a European MMA fighter.

Key moments

• Won the Cage Warriors lightweight title — becoming a two-weight champion in the promotion.
• First European MMA fighter to hold titles in two divisions at the same time.
• A slipping counter left hand was the decisive, clean finish.
• His final fight before signing with the UFC the following February.

McGregor won the vacant Cage Warriors featherweight title in Dublin, submitting Hill with a rear-naked choke in round two. The win made him the promotion's 145 lb champion and set up his pursuit of a second belt at lightweight.

Key moments

• Won the vacant Cage Warriors featherweight championship.
• Rear-naked choke submission at 4:10 of the second round.
• First major title win of his career, establishing him as Ireland's best featherweight.
• Opened the path to the Cage Warriors lightweight title six months later.

McGregor travelled to London for Cage Warriors 45 and produced one of the most brutal finishes of his regional career, stopping O'Keefe with elbows in the first round. The finish was notable even by his standards and has been replayed frequently as a highlight of his Cage Warriors era.

Key moments

• Elbow-based KO — a rare finish method even for McGregor.
• Described by Cage Warriors as one of the most brutal knockouts in the promotion's history.
• Fought in North London as part of his run toward the featherweight title.
• Continued his streak of first-round finishes on the regional circuit.

McGregor travelled to Amman, Jordan for a Cage Warriors road show and stopped Jahnsen inside the first round with a ground-and-pound barrage. The win continued his rebuild after the Duffy loss, demonstrating both striking and the ability to finish on the ground.

Key moments

• Held in Amman, Jordan — a rare away booking for the promotion.
• First-round TKO via ground-and-pound punches at 3:29.
• Part of a nine-fight unbeaten run that preceded his UFC signing.
• McGregor entered the fight 9-1, still rebuilding momentum after the Duffy loss.

McGregor headlined Celtic Gladiator 2 in Portlaoise against Polish fighter Artur Sowinski and stopped him with punches in the second round. By this point McGregor was the top lightweight prospect in Ireland, building the record that would attract Cage Warriors.

Key moments

• Held at the Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland.
• Second-round TKO — a sustained punching attack halted Sowinski at 1:12.
• Sowinski was an experienced opponent; the finish showed McGregor's growing power.
• Part of his mid-2011 comeback surge after the November 2010 loss to Duffy.

Four seconds. Doherty rushed forward and McGregor stepped back and landed a left hook that dropped him, with one follow-up punch prompting the stoppage. One of the fastest finishes in MMA history and a foreshadowing of the Aldo knockout four years later.

Key moments

• Four-second finish — one of the quickest in professional MMA history.
• Fought in Letterkenny, Ireland at Immortal Fighting Championship 4.
• The punch that ended it was a counter left hook off Doherty's own aggression.
• The same finish pattern — counter left on an advancing opponent — would later stop José Aldo in 13 seconds.

McGregor stopped a late-replacement opponent in 16 seconds at Cage Contender 8 in Dublin. Wood suffered a broken orbital bone in the exchange, a measure of how hard McGregor was already hitting at this stage of his career.

Key moments

• Wood stepped in as a last-minute replacement two days before the event.
• KO in 16 seconds — three left hooks on a retreating opponent ended it quickly.
• Wood suffered a broken orbital bone from the punches.
• Part of McGregor's quick-finish pattern in early 2011 on the Irish circuit.

McGregor returned to the Chaos Fighting Championship circuit and stopped Brady with punches at 2:31 of round one. The first of three wins in roughly two months in early 2011 as he rebuilt his record and form after the November 2010 loss to Duffy.

Key moments

• First fight of McGregor's productive early-2011 run.
• TKO via punches at 2:31 of round one.
• Part of the post-Duffy rebuild that would carry him through to Cage Warriors.
• 22-year-old McGregor was already being regarded as a top Irish prospect.

McGregor's second career loss came at 0:38 of round one when fellow Irishman Joseph Duffy locked in an arm-triangle choke. The defeat sent McGregor to the sidelines briefly, and Duffy remained the last man to beat him by a clean submission — a distinction that held for years as McGregor rose to the top.

Key moments

• McGregor's second professional loss, and his most recent clean submission defeat.
• Arm-triangle applied and finished at just 0:38 of round one.
• Duffy became 'the last man to beat Conor McGregor' for years afterward.
• The loss briefly pushed McGregor toward quitting before he returned in 2011.

McGregor fought Dillon on the Chaos FC 7 card in Derry and earned a first-round TKO when Dillon's corner stopped the fight at 4:22. According to Dillon, McGregor absorbed a head kick but then 'got down to business,' and the bout ended when Dillon sustained an injury that prompted his corner to wave it off.

Key moments

• Held at Chaos FC 7 in Derry, Northern Ireland.
• Corner stoppage TKO at 4:22 of round one.
• One of McGregor's least clean regional wins — he ate a head kick before taking over.
• Fought just weeks before his second career loss to Joseph Duffy.

McGregor bounced back from his first career loss to Sitenkov with a featherweight TKO at the KO: The Fight Before Christmas event in Dublin. He put Bailey down on the feet, took mount and back control, and finished with ground strikes at 1:22 — demonstrating early grappling ability alongside his striking.

Key moments

• First fight back after his kneebar loss to Sitenkov six months earlier.
• McGregor showed ground finishing ability — mount and back control before the TKO.
• Held at Whitehall Colmcille GAA Club in Dublin, a local Irish MMA promotion.
• Third professional fight, still just 20 years old.

McGregor's first professional loss came against Lithuanian submission specialist Artemij Sitenkov, who pulled guard, endured some hammerfists, and quickly locked in a kneebar that ended the fight at 1:09. It was a lesson in ground exposure that McGregor addressed in his development at SBG Ireland.

Key moments

• First professional loss of McGregor's career.
• Sitenkov pulled guard and found the kneebar despite taking early hammerfists.
• Finished at 1:09 of round one — a cautionary moment about ground exposure.
• McGregor was still a teenager competing in his second professional bout.

McGregor's second professional outing came two months after his debut, on a Cage Rage Contenders card in Dublin. He pressed Taylor into the cage with combination punching, dropped him, and finished with follow-up strikes before the minute-and-a-half mark — a dominant performance against a fellow newcomer.

Key moments

• Second professional fight, held just two months after his debut.
• Combination punching along the cage set up the finish.
• Both fighters were making early professional appearances.
• TKO at 1:59 of round one on a Cage Rage promotion in Dublin.

McGregor's professional debut, held at the Trinity Sports and Leisure Centre in Dublin against fellow first-timer Gary Morris. He controlled the fight and finished with ground strikes in round two — both fighters were making their pro debuts, giving the bout a raw, development-stage quality.

Key moments

• Professional MMA debut for both McGregor and his opponent Gary Morris.
• Finished with ground-and-pound in round two.
• Held at the Trinity Sports and Leisure Centre in Dublin, March 2008.
• McGregor was 19 years old at the time of his first professional fight.