Although he’s the face of mixed martial arts, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has tasted defeat several times in his professional career inside and outside the promotion’s Octagon.
The first fighter in UFC history to hold two divisional titles (lightweight and featherweight) simultaneously boasts an MMA record of 22-6, which includes 19 wins via KO/TKO, one by submission, and two by decision.
And if you count McGregor’s sole professional boxing bout, “Notorious” has lost seven contests in his professional combat sports tenure.
So, who did he lose to, and when? Let’s take a brief look into the 35-year-old’s career.
McGregor dropped two fights before becoming a UFC athlete
Before the glitz and glamour of McGregor’s UFC run, he was a regional fighter bouncing around Ireland and the UK to compete in smaller promotions. He made his professional debut in March 2008 when he bested Gary Morris by second-round TKO during a Cage of Truth event in Dublin, the Irishman’s hometown.
After notching a second win, McGregor suffered his first defeat as a pro. He submitted to a kneebar in June 2008 at another Cage of Truth show courtesy of Artemij Sitenkov.
Undeterred, he earned back-to-back wins to improve his record to 4-1. But, his win streak was halted during his first appearance for Cage Warriors — the most notable promotion on his resume at that point. Once again, he tapped to submission, a theme that’d continue to follow McGregor into his UFC career. Joseph Duffy caught McGregor in an arm-triangle choke less than 40 seconds into the opening round.
With that, McGregor had compiled a 4-2 record through six fights within two and a half years.
But he didn’t become a globally recognized superstar by losing. In fact, his early stoppage to Duffy was the last defeat McGregor dealt with for around six years.
Notorious stormed through the UFC’s featherweight roster, but he met his match against Nate Diaz in 2016
After McGregor’s second professional loss, he fought eight times from 2011 through 2012 while currying favor with Irish fans with his electric striking style. All the contests ended before the final buzzer, and McGregor left each match with another victory etched onto his record.
The final four fights of that stretch were under Cage Warriors’ banner, and he ended his tenure as both the organization’s 155 and 145-pound champion — a feat he’d later repeat in mixed martial art’s most famous promotion.
His last MMA match outside of the Octagon was in December 2012, when he captured the lightweight strap by knocking out Ivan Buchinger.
With a 13-2 record and a passionate cult following, McGregor signed with the UFC shortly after. What happened next was a seven-fight featherweight run that elevated Notorious into superstardom.
He dismantled Marcus Brimage just over a minute into his promotional debut in April 2013.
Four more 145-pound combatants took an “L” against the Irishman after that, which led him to an undisputed title fight against the division’s GOAT, Jose Aldo. But, a few weeks before they fought at UFC 289 in July 2015, Aldo pulled out with an injury, and McGregor was pitted against Chad Mendes instead, and that night, he left the MGM Grand Garden Arena with the interim championship.
He then dueled Jose Aldo later that year, and he stole the Brazilian’s belt by ending his legendary win streak with a brutal 13-second knockout. At 19-2, McGregor realized his goal of hoisting UFC hardware. But, even though he’d make history around a year later, he also had several losses heading his way.
Nate Diaz momentarily derailed Notorious’ hype train around three months after he became the featherweight champion. McGregor was supposed to fight then-lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos for the Brazilian’s title, but the latter was forced out of their fight with an injury. Diaz stepped in on around 10 days’ notice, and they fought in a non-title contest at welterweight — a fight Diaz won with a rear-naked choke.
Including boxing, McGregor is 3-4 since his first UFC loss
Although Notorious was still the 145-pound champion after Diaz tapped him out, the Irishman’s focus wasn’t on his weight class. First, he wanted to avenge his loss to Diaz at 170 pounds, which he did five months after their first tilt via majority decision. Then, McGregor cemented his legacy as a two-division UFC champion by beating up then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez en route to a second-round TKO in November 2016.
As both the UFC’s 155 and 145-pound kingpin, McGregor’s next match didn’t happen inside the Octagon. Instead, he made his first and only appearance as a professionally licensed boxer. He took on boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017, and although the Irishman had his moments in the fight, “Money” ultimately silenced McGregor via 10th-round TKO.
McGregor then lost his grand UFC return in October 2018 when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound gold. In January 2020, Notorious bounced back from his two-fight skid by decimating Donald Cerrone 40 seconds into their welterweight affair.
Unfortunately for McGregor and his fans, that was the last victory he’d earn up to this point (October 2023).
In January 2021, he returned to lightweight and rematched Dustin Poirier (McGregor beat Poirier years earlier at featherweight), and “The Diamond” took out the Irishman halfway through the second round via TKO.
And in his most recent bout, Notorious broke his leg during their trilogy contest in July of the same year.
Although he’s 35 and has had over two years out of the fight game, Notorious seems highly motivated to make a comeback. Most recently, he posted a video of himself on his yacht on Oct. 18 and revealed he had been randomly drug tested twice by the United States Anti-Doping Agency — a requirement for all active UFC athletes.
