Conor McGregor Record: 22-7-0

Rise to the featherweight title

McGregor's ascent accelerated in 2014 and 2015. He blasted out Dustin Poirier in the first round at UFC 178, then stopped Dennis Siver to set up a title shot. After surviving a wrestling-heavy interim title fight to finish Chad Mendes at UFC 189, he produced the defining moment of his career: a 13-second knockout of long-reigning featherweight king José Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015 to claim the undisputed UFC Featherweight Championship.

The Diaz rivalry and two-division history

Moving up in weight, McGregor met Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in 2016 and suffered his first UFC loss, tapping to a second-round rear-naked choke. He avenged it five months later at UFC 202, edging Diaz by majority decision in a five-round war. Then, at UFC 205 in November 2016, McGregor knocked out lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in the second round to capture the title and become the first fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two weight classes at the same time.

Later career

McGregor's profile only grew. In 2017 he crossed over to boxing for a blockbuster bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., losing by 10th-round TKO. Returning to MMA, he challenged unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018 and was submitted in the fourth round. He roared back with a 40-second TKO of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020, but then dropped two straight to Dustin Poirier in 2021 — a second-round knockout at UFC 257 and a doctor's stoppage at UFC 264 after McGregor broke his leg.

Fighting style

McGregor is one of the most lethal strikers the sport has produced, with a finish rate of roughly 91% and 19 of his 22 wins coming by knockout. His game is built around timing, footwork and a thunderous straight left, set up by feints and an uncanny sense of distance. At his best he is a counter-puncher who makes elite opponents miss and pay, as the Aldo and Alvarez knockouts showed. His vulnerabilities have come on the mat and in deeper waters: all four of his submission losses underline that grappling-heavy pressure remains the clearest blueprint against him.

Career highlights

• UFC Featherweight Champion — knocked out José Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to win the undisputed title in stunning fashion.
• First simultaneous two-division UFC champion — added the lightweight belt at UFC 205, becoming the first fighter to hold UFC titles in two weight classes at once.
• Knockout artist — built a 91% finish rate with 19 KO/TKO wins, including first-round stoppages of Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone.