7 Biggest Conor McGregor Controversies

Having had the most meteoric rise to superstardom ever witnessed in MMA, Conor McGregor has left spectators in awe with his incredible performances in the cage, on his way to becoming the first-ever simultaneous two-weight world champion.

In terms of professionalism outside the cage, however, The Notorious One has often left a lot to be desired. Since being catapulted into the spotlight after his UFC debut, the vociferous Irishman has never shied away from looking into a camera and speaking whatever comes to his mind at that moment. A trait that has made him both extremely popular and often proved to be to his own detriment.

McGregor has also on a number of occasions shown an unwavering commitment to his teammates, often to a fault. Unsurprisingly, this has led him finding himself on the wrong side of various controversies over his MMA career.

These are some of the scandals that have so far marred an otherwise incredible career.

UFC 200 on 9 July 2016 was a monumental event. In an attempt to replicate the success of UFC 100, the organisation went out of their way to stack the card with the some of the biggest talent available.

In months leading up to the event, the UFC did everyone they could to make a card fitting for the occasion. The feature bout would be the eagerly anticipated rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, just months after Diaz scored one of the biggest MMA upsets in recent memory by submitting McGregor on just two weeks notice at UFC 196.

In the build-up to the event McGregor released his now-infamous tweet, ostensibly announcing his retirement from MMA, leaving many observing the sport wondering whether the rematch would even take place.

When the time came, the fight would end up being scratched from the UFC 200 card. According to UFC president Dana White, Conor had refused to attend a press conference in New York and would, therefore, be removed from the event.

The move by the UFC to take a huge star off a card for missing a media obligation, while seemingly self-sabotaging, followed a historical precedent. In 2011 Nick Diaz was removed from his title fight with Georges St Pierre after missing a media event in the lead up to UFC 137.