Conor McGregor's decline from champ-champ to cokehead

Express Tribune

18-02-2025

Conor McGregor was once untouchable—now, his name sparks more controversy than knockout highlights.
Few fighters have ever electrified the combat sports world like Conor McGregor. The Irishman didn't just fight—he made people care. He walked, talked, and fought like a king, rising from welfare checks in Dublin to two-division UFC glory.
But today, when you hear his name, it's not knockout highlights that come to mind—it's lawsuits, meltdowns, and scandal after scandal.
Conor McGregor, once the undisputed face of the UFC, has now left a disputed legacy on the sport he once owned.
The Meteoric Rise: Conor McGregor's Takeover
McGregor's journey from a broke plumber's apprentice to MMA's biggest star reads like a Hollywood script. He stormed into the UFC in 2013, decimating opponents with surgical precision and a left hand that could end careers. He wasn't just another fighter—he was a showman, a force of nature, and a human headline machine.
In 2015, he vaporized featherweight kingpin José Aldo in 13 seconds, cementing himself as the face of the fight game. This, to this day, remains the fastest knockout in a UFC title fight ever.
A year later, he moved up in weight, dismantled Eddie Alvarez, and became the UFC's first simultaneous two-division champion. The swagger, the suits, the trash talk—it all felt larger than life. His iconic line at UFC 205—'I'd like to take this chance to apologize... to absolutely nobody!'—became the battle cry of a new generation of fight fans.
And then? Then it all started falling apart.
The Turning Point: Money, Mayweather, and Madness
McGregor's obsession with superstardom took him beyond the cage and into the boxing ring for a blockbuster showdown with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The fight was a spectacle, a money-printing circus that netted McGregor over $100 million even in expected defeat.
The media frenzy in the build-up to the fight brought a whole new audience to McGregor - and boy, did he hold them with the palm of his hand.
But while his bank account soared, his hunger for MMA faded.
When he returned to the UFC in 2018 to face undefeated grappling monster Khabib Nurmagomedov, he wasn't the same fighter. The lead-up to the fight was pure chaos—McGregor infamously hurled a metal dolly through a bus window in an attempt to confront Khabib, injuring multiple fighters and earning himself an arrest.
The full incident, caught by UFC's cameras, painted McGregor in an increasingly unhinged picture.
Inside the octagon, Khabib dismantled him, choking him out in the fourth round. What followed was an all-out brawl between both camps, a PR nightmare, and the first real crack in the McGregor empire.
The Controversies: The Man Who Couldn't Stay Out of Trouble
Since that loss, McGregor's rap sheet has become longer than his highlight reel.
2018: Assaults an elderly man in a Dublin pub for refusing a shot of his Proper Twelve whiskey.
2019: Arrested in Miami for smashing a fan's phone.
2021: Allegedly sucker-punches an Italian DJ in a nightclub.
2023: Accused of attacking a woman on his yacht in Spain.
2023: Sends an NBA mascot to the hospital with an ill-advised punch.
Oh, and the sexual assault allegations? There have been multiple. From Dublin hotel accusations to Miami restroom claims, the headlines keep piling up. Some cases were dropped, others quietly settled. But the pattern is undeniable: McGregor the fighter has been overshadowed by McGregor the courtroom regular.
The Decline: Losing Fights, Losing Fans
McGregor's decline inside the cage has been just as dramatic. After knocking out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds in 2020, he faced Dustin Poirier twice in 2021. The first fight? He got knocked out. The second? He snapped his leg in one of the most gruesome injuries in UFC history. Rather than showing humility, he raged from the floor, hurling threats at Poirier's family like a man unhinged.
With each loss, McGregor's aura faded. His once-peerless fight IQ seemed dulled. The UFC moved on. The new generation of killers—Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and Alex Volkanovski—no longer see him as a king to be dethroned.
He's an afterthought, a relic of a wilder era.
Cocaine, Social Media Meltdowns, and the Final Nail in the Coffin?
If his public outbursts weren't enough, McGregor's increasingly erratic behavior has fueled speculation of substance abuse. His bizarre, late-night social media rants, his glassy-eyed interviews, and his all-too-frequent bar fights scream of a man spiraling out of control.
Reports of cocaine use swirl around him, and fans can't help but wonder: is this the same guy who once preached discipline and visualization?
And let's not forget his never-ending parade of canceled fights. He was supposed to return against Michael Chandler in 2024. Didn't happen. The UFC moved on, the hype cooled, and fans started asking the real question: Does McGregor even matter anymore?
It seems like these days McGregor is more interested in spitting on fans rather than giving them what they want; a Conor McGregor fight.
The Verdict: Is There a Road to Redemption?
Let's be real—McGregor could fight tomorrow and still sell a million pay-per-views. His name is currency, and his legend won't fully fade overnight. But his credibility? His standing as one of the greatest? That's in tatters.
A triumphant return to the cage could restore some of the mystique, but the chances of him reclaiming UFC gold are slimmer than ever. And with each new scandal, the sport moves further away from him. MMA doesn't wait for anyone—not even the Notorious One.
Conor McGregor was once the king of the fight game. Today, he's dangerously close to becoming just another cautionary tale of a man who had it all... and lost it.