The MMA community over the years has dealt with its share of scrutiny. The unusual sport was brought to America by way of the The Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993 where the likes of Gerard Gordeau, Teila Tuli, Kevin Rosier, Zane Frazier, Art Jimmerson, Patrick Smith, Ken Shamrock, and Royce Gracie were all participants. The UFC then was much different. There was no ranking system, rather a style bracketing system. Also, there were no unified rules besides no groin strikes or eye pokes. There was only one way to win; fight until your opponent cannot or quits. Any combat sport is viewed as dangerous, hostile, and aggressive, but mixed martial arts was especially frowned upon since it was not just one style of fighting, rather several different styles varying from country to country.
As time passed, MMA grew in popularity, established rules and a point system, created uniform gear, and is now popularized worldwide. However, many still view it has hostile and barbaric. Certain fighters do not help themselves with their out-of-ring antics. This is the case for MMA phenom Connor McGregor. The Dublin native burst onto the UFC scene in 2013, holding a 12-2 record. After defeating Marcus Brimmage in TKO fashion, McGregor would rise into stardom, all while living up to one of his more famous quotes, “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over!” Take over he did, by defeating Chad Mendes to become the Interim Featherweight Champion. His rise did not stop, as he then toppled Jose Aldo in just thirteen seconds to become the Unified Featherweight Champion. From there he would lose to Nate Diaz at Welterweight, but would get the win back at lightweight, would defeat Eddie Alvarez to become a dual champion in both feather and lightweight, however he would lose the lightweight belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Some time has passed since the fighting Irishman has been seen in the Octagon, yet he still finds himself in the headlines and not for the right reasons. In 2017, Mr. McGregor wound up punching a man in the face. There were no legal ramifications, however, in April of this year, he was seen punching yet another man in the face. Much like the first issue, he did not face any legal consequences. One of his more famous incidents was the dolly incident of UFC 223. McGregor threw a dolly through a bus window, injuring several other fighters. While he faced some legal consequences, in typical “proper’ fashion, he got out of the major trouble by accepting a plea deal; the charges were dropped, and the champion was sentenced to five days of community service.
Conor McGregor vs The Law has taken yet another turn. The latest of Mr. McGregor’s misdeeds comes in the form of sexual assault; or the second sexual assault allegation. HE was once accused in 2018. Most recently a woman in her mid-20s accused the MMA star of sexually assaulting her in a vehicle. McGregor has not been interviewed by police yet but is under investigation.
As mentioned before, MMA is viewed as barbaric and hostile. McGregor’s actions do not help the world view of MMA. Quite frankly they are embarrassing, not only to himself, but to MMA fighters and fans alike. His track record suggests that even though he has a propensity for doing moronic things, he will escape seemingly unscathed by both the UFC and the law. This poses an even bigger question; why is McGregor so untouchable?
The obvious answer for the UFC aspect is that Conor McGregor is the “cash cow” of the UFC. No star aside from Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya have broken out the way he has. For that reason, many accommodations will be made. Though Dan White tries to deny it, he is constantly back tracking on his stances for McGregor. White once said that there will never be live performances for walkout songs, however, during the McGregor vs Mendes fight, he allowed both McGregor and Mendes to have a live singer to perform the walkout song. Where did the idea come from? You guessed it; Mr. McGregor. The law however is an even bigger question. It is not as though McGregor is an elected official or anything of the sort. Perhaps, it is the fact of what he represents to the people of Ireland? Perhaps there is something underlying we do not see.
Speculations are just that, speculations. No one besides Conor knows the truth to his escape tactics. Bet he wishes he could escape compromising jiu-jitsu positions just as well. Word of his next fight has been rather murky and unclear. Pending this latest legal issue, it may be some time until we see the Irishman back in action. He was last seen almost a year ago when he fought Khabib. Some after fight antics including a brawl between both Khabib’s and Conor ‘s corners sidelined them from fighting. However, both suspensions are now over. Hopefully McGregor can find a way to straighten up and put on a few more stellar performances, lest he tarnish his legacy.
