Conor McGregor can be credited with making countless people MMA fans with his iconic UFC run between 2013-16. His popularity skyrocketed further among casual MMA fans after boxing Floyd Mayweather in August 2017.
Although McGregor hasn’t fought consistently lately, he became an MMA star for his courage to fight anytime, anywhere, and anyone. The most unforgettable moments of his career might have come in the UFC, but not a lot of people are aware of his long journey to success.
So, here’s when McGregor started fighting and a brief rundown of his early pro and amateur career…
When Did Conor McGregor Start Training?
McGregor started training at the age of 12 at the Crumlin Boxing Club under Phil Sutcliffe. While talking to Irish Boxing, he credited the club for helping him sharpen his striking fundamentals. Sutcliffe has also revealed that “Mystic Mac” was one of his most focused students.
After winning a couple of novice boxing tournaments, McGregor aimed to learn other MMA disciplines and eventually started training at Straight Blast Gym under John Kavanagh.
When Was Conor McGregor’s First Fight?
McGregor made his amateur debut on February 17, 2007, against Kieran Campbell. He won via first-round TKO and immediately turned pro. He was first signed by Irish promotion Cage of Truth but went on to fight for Chaos Fighting Championship and Cage Warriors too.
Before joining the UFC, “The Notorious” lost twice via submission to Artemij Sitenkov and Joe Duffy. However, he bounced back by winning his next eight pro fights consecutively.
Holding the featherweight and lightweight titles at Cage Warriors simultaneously in April 2012 was the Dubliner’s big breakthrough. He first fought for the UFC in April 2013 against Marcus Brimage, and the rest is history…
