On April 6, 2013, a super-confident Irishman made his UFC debut and announced his arrival to the sporting world as the next big global superstar. His name? Conor McGregor.
McGregor had captured the featherweight and lightweight titles in European promotion Cage Warriors, leading to a groundswell of support in his native Ireland.
And, when UFC president Dana White arrived in Dublin for a talk at Kings College, he was inundated by fans imploring him to sign the ebullient Irishman. It led him to check out McGregor's recent performances and, eventually, he inked the Dubliner to a multi-fight contract.
McGregor's first assignment came at UFC Fight Night in Stockholm against former graduate from The Ultimate Fighter, Marcus Brimage. "The Bama Beast" was building a reputation as something of a prospect killer, after handing the highly-rated Jimy Hettes his first loss inside the octagon in his previous fight, and he planned on...