Conor McGregor has seen a rise to the top of the mountain, unlike any other fighter in the UFC before him. Just a little over three years after making his debut, McGregor went on to become a two-division world champion in the UFC. McGregor transcended the sport of MMA and brought with him a plethora of new fans into the sport. While some view McGregor as a burden on the sport, current welterweight champion Leon Edwards thinks otherwise. Edwards recently sat down for an interview with Simon Jordan on his YouTube channel.
Jordan asked Edwards what he made of McGregor and his influence on the sport. Edwards said,
“For me, I think he’s great for the sport. I think he’s definitely brought the sport forward for the casual fans. He’s one of these guys that you either like him or don’t like him, he is who he is, but as far as—what he’s achieved in sport, you can’t take away from him…..For the sport, he definitely helped the sport. He didn’t take nothing away from it, he definitely gave more as far as pushing it for the mainstream.”
Edwards went on to defend his decision. He stated that he views McGregor’s contribution to the sport purely based on what he has done inside the octagon. Edwards stated that his recent troubles outside the octagon do not take away from the fact that he was the first mega star in the sport.
Is Conor McGregor an ideal role model for the sport?
Unfortunately for Conor McGregor fans, they have had more reasons to jeer their fighter than cheer him on over the past few months. In addition to numerous allegations of sexual assault and other legal infractions like assault and smashing someone’s mobile, McGregor has a history of making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The frequency of these incidents started at UFC 223 in April 2018.
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McGregor shocked the world by attempting to attack fellow lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the bus by throwing a dolly through it. The frequency and the nature of the incidents outside the octagon definitely diminish McGregor’s image as a ‘role model’. However, as Edwards stated, drawing inspiration just from the sporting achievements of McGregor would be the best way to look at McGregor’s career so far.
