Years before he would become the greatest star in the history of sport, Conor McGregor cut his teeth on the regional MMA scene of Ireland.
The incredible UFC-Run where 'The Notorious' became the very first two -woog UFC champion is well documented.
His days of competing now seem to be behind us after the recent pension ceremony of McGregor, but what he did in the largest stage will never be forgotten.
Before he even made his first walk to the Octagon in 2013 for a debut that would change the entire landscape of the sport, the earlier performance of McGregor had already received some attention.
That said, the earliest images of his professional career would not immediately suggest that you will keep an eye on the man who would lead the way for MMA around the world.
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Conor McGregor was warned about kicking his down opponent during total attack
Before he finally put together a run in Cage Warriors, who at the same time saw him hold two belts, which then earned him a UFC contract, Conor McGregor learned to compete in and around his home country of Ireland.
'The Notorious' became professional in 2008 and put together the first four fights of his career in the same year, all of them took place on the 'Emerald Isle'.
His second of those trips came on this day, Cage Rage on 3 May, where he was confronted with a debut Mo Taylor that was not prepared for the barrage that came his way.
Shortly after the Ring -Omroeper McGregor had labeled 'A Talented MMA Fighter', the young Irishman quickly started landing Big Left Hands, a strike that would turn him into one of the largest sports stars in the world.
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With his opponent who covered, the non-stop offense of the aggressor was when his corner repeatedly told their hunter to settle.
The composed and calculated sniper-like McGregor this was not, but that did not stop him from returning immediately after a short break, so that he unleashed more wild combinations to drop his husband against the fence.
He continued with the rule of the soil and pounded with reckless surrender, which almost led him to be caught in a submission, despite his angle that warned him of this threat.
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After he had beaten his opponent to get out of a potential arm bar, McGregor continued to throw the sink to Taylor to try to get him away there.
His corner even had to warn him that he was disqualified after he apparently threw a staircase against a down opponent, with his coaches who shouted, “Don't kick him in the head!”
The advice to settle down did not come through, but it did not matter, because the referee eventually came in to explain McGregor to the winner after many unanswered basic attacks.
The following month he would suffer his first loss for Artemij Sitenkov on July 27.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
The improvements in the game of Conor McGregor from 2008 to 2012 are surprising
It is clear in the images from his second pro fight that Conor McGregor is far from the completed article and that is not surprising at all.
What is remarkable is how much more his game was by the time he started compiling the profit reak in Cage Warriors that would eventually lead him to the UFC.
In his last fight with European promotion, just four years after his pro-debut, McGregor Ivan Buchinger would send in style to become a double-language champion, with the excellent timing, speed and strength that would see him achieve the same performance at the highest level.
💥 We could not summarize an incredible cage Warriors Knock -Outs on New Year's Eve without taking them from @thenotoriousmma we can!?
🏆🏆 On this day in 2012, McGregor conquered the double champion status with a devastating KO victory on Ivan Buchinger on #CW51 in Dublin! pic.twitter.com/cr7v2zcue6
– Cage Warriors (@cagewarriors) December 31, 2021
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As his coach John Kavanagh said time and again, it was not only natural talent that made 'the Notorious' something special, he did the work to climb step by step in the ladder.