Conor McGregor signed for the UFC as a two-weight world champion for Cage Warriors. Upon signing with the UFC, ‘The Notorious’ has a clear gold in mind, replicating his two-division champion status in the UFC and making generational wealth. As things stand in 2023, it is safe to say that McGregor made good on both of his goals in the UFC.
While there have been numerous highs in McGregor’s UFC career, there have been a few lows as well. ‘The Notorious’ seemed invincible through his first seven fights in the promotion. Unfortunately, Conor McGregor lost a total of four fights in his UFC career.
The Irishman stopped everyone put in his way with ease and class, which made him a household name. However, as all good things must come to an end, Conor McGregor’s purple patch in the UFC came to an abrupt end in March 2016 at UFC 196.
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Accepting a short-notice fight against Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor lost for the first time in his UFC career. McGregor started strong in the first round and landed several deadly shots, as he always does.
However, the more experienced Nate Diaz weathered the storm and soaked up all the initial pressure. McGregor started to fade in the second round and was eventually finished via a rear-naked choke in the second round. This was the first loss in his UFC career for Conor McGregor. He would go on to lose three more fights after that.
Analyzing the Losses: A Detailed Look at the defeats of Conor McGregor
For ‘The Notorious’, none of the losses would have hurt as much as the loss after Nate Diaz. At UFC 229, the Irish superstar took on Khabib Nurmagomedov in a heated grudge match in 2018.
While he did better than most fighters do against ‘The Eagle’, McGregor tapped out in round four. This brought to an end the most heated rivalry in the history of the UFC. It also resulted in the biggest paydays for both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Next up, ‘The Notorious’ suffered the third loss of his UFC career against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in 2021. It was the Irish star’s return to the sport after a year’s absence.
On paper, it should have been an easy fight against someone he knocked out in the first round of the last fight they fought. Unfortunately, this time, it was McGregor’s turn to be stopped. Dustin Poirier stopped ‘The Notorious’ in the second round, causing a major upset.
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Dustin Poirier followed this up with yet another stoppage win in their rubber match at UFC 264 in the same year. In what is one of the worst injuries of all time, the Irish superstar snapped his leg in half while throwing a calf kick.
This was the fourth and final loss in Conor McGregor’s career. MMA fans will be hoping that McGregor can get into the win column on his return. As things stand, McGregor is currently without a win since January 2020.
