Mystic Mac is back! Conor McGregor’s triumphant return from retirement

BY MARCEL MARIAK

The Past
Conor McGregor’s life has been a rollercoaster in the past decade. From being broke and living on government unemployment pay in Ireland, to becoming a UFC double champion and global celebrity, to falling from glory and being involved in several scandals. After his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov in late 2018, Conor nearly disappeared from the MMA community entirely. He had been silenced. His loud and in-your-face character became invisible – other than a social media post every now and again advertising his brand of whiskey. Conor had simply lost his mystique, his omnipotence. Seeing him tossed around and mauled by Khabib for nearly 20 minutes confirmed everyone’s suspicions: Conor was finished as a fighter.

Soon after the loss, Conor announced his retirement; and instead of making news in the octagon, he began making news elsewhere. Conor started getting into trouble and ended up in court several times. As his fans watched in despair, one thing seemed clear: Conor McGregor was a shadow of his former self.

When Conor announced his return to the UFC to fight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, people in the MMA community doubted his abilities to make a comeback. With the memories of his losses and controversies still fresh in their minds, many viewed his return as a quick way to make a few million dollars before disappearing again. Although McGregor was the favourite to win, there were serious doubts about his ability to reign supreme.

The Fight
The McGregor – Cerrone matchup, scheduled for January 18th, had a slightly different mood than Conor’s other fights. In preparation for his return, McGregor dispensed with the trash-talk, scandals, predictions, and press conferences. It became clear that both fighters had great respect for each other.

At the weigh-in, Conor looked strong. Moving up to the Welterweight division at 170 lbs. allowed McGregor to put on a few extra pounds of muscle. Going into the fight, Conor looked like a completely different man. He exchanged his previously lean physique for a slightly bulkier, meaner, and more powerful-looking form. He looked focused and ready to fight. During his walk to the octagon, it became clear that McGregor wasn’t just there to make a few quick bucks; he was ready for war.

One of the greatest concerns that MMA critics had about Conor’s return was his lack of endurance. In all of his past fights, McGregor had suffered with his stamina. He would always start the fight extremely strong, dominating his opponent with powerful strikes and explosive movements. Then, as the fight wore on, Conor quickly began to lose his tempo. Going into the fight against Cerrone, it became clear that if McGregor was to win the fight, he would have to finish it fast.

At the starting bell, McGregor rushed Cerrone. They clinched up in the middle of the octagon and McGregor used the most unorthodox striking technique MMA fans had ever seen: shoulder strikes (how do you train those?). The attack was effective, smashing Cerrone’s nose and making him bleed in the opening seconds of the fight. Then, when the injured Cerrone dropped his hands, McGregor delivered a stunning head kick that instantly wobbled Cowboy and put the classic “lights are on but nobody’s home” look in his eyes. After that, Connor followed up with a powerful flying knee to his opponent’s head that sent him crumpling to the mat. Conor followed up with a vicious ground-and-pound attack to end the fight.

Total time: 40 seconds.
After the fight, the respect between both of the warriors only grew. Conor hugged and thanked Cerrone, who accepted defeat with his head held high. Both fighters showed each other tremendous respect, which was a nice wholesome change from McGregor’s usual, incessant smack-talk. Conor even embraced Cerrone’s family. The two fighters behaved like true professionals.

Hope for the Future
In his post-fight interview, McGregor stated that this fight was his way to, “Etch my name in history one more time.” From this comment, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll keep fighting or if the fight was a one-off; but with the way he finished this fight, we can only hope that we’ll more of Conor in the future.