Conor McGregor’s dominance in the world of mixed martial arts is a result of his relentless pursuit of physical excellence, allowing him to succeed across various weight categories. His latest Instagram post proudly displays his awe-inspiring physique that is a testament to his dedication and hard work.
The Irishman’s ascent in the UFC has seen The Notorious break boundaries in the sport that no one thought possible prior to his debut in April 2013.
His pinnacle was reached in November 2016 when he obliterated Eddie Alvarez to become a two-weight world champion – the first athlete to ever hold two titles concurrently in the UFC.
Conor McGregor has transformed the way UFC fighters can compete at multiple weights
After becoming double champ in 2016, McGregor has tried his luck at various weight classes
McGregor’s success at featherweight (145 pounds) and lightweight (155 pounds) has opened doors for more stars to try their luck at multiple weights, including the likes of Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
And since his 40-second destruction of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in January this year, McGregor has set out plans to clinch the world title at 170 pounds, 25 pounds heavier than where he started out at featherweight.
In the midst of his mixed martial arts pursuits, McGregor has also tried his hand at boxing, where he weighed in at 153 pounds to take on Floyd Mayweather in a mega-money Las Vegas showdown.
McGregor shared an image of his physique that has allowed him to fight at different weights
Sportsmail takes a look at the unbelievable weight transformation of Conor McGregor
Sportsmail takes a look at the unbelievable body transformation of Conor McGregor, from his world title fight against Jose Aldo until his most recent outing against Cerrone.
145 pounds (vs. Jose Aldo, 12 December 2015)
Conor McGregor arrived in the UFC off the back of becoming a two-weight world champion with Cage Warriors, an MMA organisation that is based in Europe.
A host of athletes have trodden the path from Cage Warriors to the UFC, and so eager was McGregor to perform under the bright lights of the world’s biggest stage, his coach John Kavanagh said he was willing to fight in the bantamweight division, at 135 pounds.
Conor McGregor rose to the summit of the featherweight division with a KO win over Jose Aldo
McGregor looked gaunt ahead of his featherweight title fight against the Brazilian in 2015
However, McGregor was signed by the UFC to compete in the featherweight division, where Jose Aldo ruled the roost, having defended the belt on seven occasions.
The Notorious quickly rose through the ranks and earned himself a shot at Aldo’s belt. When he stepped onto the scales to weigh in for his December 2015 bout, a gaunt McGregor looked far too big for the weight class.
In all, it would take just 13 seconds for McGregor to knock out Aldo, in what is one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history.
Ambitions to become a two-weight world champion was cited as the reason for his move up to lightweight, but the understandably difficult task of cutting down to 145 pounds must have been a huge contributing factor in ditching the featherweight division. He has never competed at 145 pounds since.
That bout was the last time he would compete at 145 pounds, with the weight cut a difficulty
168 pounds (vs. Nate Diaz, 5 March 2016, 20 August 2016)
Unlike any other UFC athlete, McGregor was granted a shot at the lightweight title without having to face any of the division’s top contenders first, leaving a certain Khabib Nurmagomedov angered in particular.
McGregor was slated to fight Brazilian champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. However, a foot injury meant that the bout was scrapped just days before the event.
McGregor amassed an extra 23 pounds for his 2016 double-header against Nate Diaz
In stepped Nate Diaz, and one of the sport’s most popular rivalries was born. Due to having limited time to cut weight, the pair agreed to compete at 170 pounds, meaning that in the space of three months, McGregor was to compete two weight classes above his natural division.
McGregor stepped on the scales weighing 168 pounds, and looked far healthier for it. However, come fight night, he was slow and got caught easily, suffering a shock defeat to the popular Californian.
Instead of accepting that he may not be able to perform at his peak at a heavier weight, McGregor called for an immediate rematch at welterweight, and weighing in at 168 pounds once more, defeated Diaz in a five round war that earned him a points victory on the judges’ scorecard. McGregor would go on to clinch the lightweight belt, before the Irishman went in search of a life-changing payday.
The pair shared the octagon on two occasions, with the second a gruelling win for McGregor
155 pounds (vs. Eddie Alvarez, 12 November 2016)
Reputation in tact after avenging his shock defeat to Diaz, McGregor set his sights on the task at hand – to win the lightweight title and become the first athlete to hold two titles at the same time in UFC history.
McGregor had not competed at 155 pounds since his days with Cage Warriors, and having taken the plunge straight into a title shot without any warm up fights against lightweight opponents, there remained some doubt as to whether he would be able to compete at a heavier weight.
McGregor competed at 155 lbs for the first time in the UFC in his title fight with Eddie Alvarez
The Notorious dazzled at Madison Square Garden, becoming a two-weight world champion
Stepping onto the scales, McGregor looked in far better shape than his outings at 145 pounds, but didn’t look as though he’d gained too much mass as he had done for the Diaz bouts.
And he certainly didn’t put a foot wrong in Madison Square Garden. McGregor was sublime throughout, with inch perfect footwork and lightning fast hand speed to make a mockery of those who had doubted his chances ten pounds heavier.
By the time the round two bell sounded, it was all but a procession for McGregor, who put Alvarez away and seal his place in UFC history. His next challenge would set him among the top earners in all sports.
153 pounds (vs. Floyd Mayweather, 25 August 2017)
With his reputation as the UFC’s most lethal striker, a growing consensus among MMA fans emerged: Conor McGregor could well compete with one of the greatest boxers of all time in Floyd Mayweather.
There was only one way to find out and lo and behold the seemingly impossible became possible as Dana White allowed his prized asset to rake in his millions in a showdown with the man who calls himself ‘Money’ in the Nevada desert.
Conor McGregor shed down to 153 pounds for his mega-money fight with Floyd Mayweather
The bout would see McGregor not only adhere to Queensbury rules, limiting his wide array of striking options including leg kicks, but he also agreed to shed weight from his previous bouts with Diaz and Eddie Alvarez, with The Notorious weighing in at 153 pounds to Mayweather’s 149.5.
The disparity in weight bore no advantage for McGregor, who, despite being 12 years Mayweather’s junior, rarely posed a threat to the wily old operator, who put a stop to the contest with a ninth round stoppage.
It wasn’t the humiliation that many expected, and with his bank balance healthily replenished, McGregor escaped that defeat unscathed. It would be over a year before fans saw their idol competing again, in what is seen as one of the ugliest rivalries the UFC has seen.
Despite posing no threat to Mayweather, McGregor escaped unscathed with a 10th round loss
155 pounds (vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, 6 October 2018)
By the time McGregor made his highly-anticipated return to the UFC, much had changed from his last outing in the octagon.
He had been stripped of both his featherweight and lightweight belts due to inactivity, become embroiled in a number of incidents outside of the sport, and was quickly losing the adulation he had earned in his heyday.
McGregor made his return to 155 pounds when he faced Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018
He looked second-best throughout and cited a foot injury that hampered his mobility
But he was back fighting at 155 pounds, a weight that many say he competes at his ‘optimal’ level. No matter that the opponent was Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the most feared fighter on the UFC roster, nor that McGregor was coming in off a fifteen-month lay off, fans were still excited to see the ‘old McGregor’ return. He did look in good shape stepping onto the scales prior to the bout.
In truth, the action outside of the octagon was more of a spectacle than the 18 minutes in October 2018, with Nurmagomedov dominating for much of the contest and submitting McGregor in the fourth round.
It was an underwhelming showing from the Irishman, who conceded after the bout that he had picked up a foot injury that hampered his mobility in the contest. He has continued to make his claim for a rematch, and it would be interesting to see whether, injury free, he can perform at the level we saw against Alvarez in 2016.
170 pounds (vs. Donald Cerrone, 18 January 2020)
Another fifteen months would pass before McGregor’s next UFC outing, although this time UFC president Dana White opted not to throw his prized asset in the deep end against Nurmagomedov, but instead pit McGregor against Donald Cerrone.
And that’s without meaning to diminish the achievements of ‘Cowboy’, who holds the record for most wins ever in the UFC, but such is Khabib’s dominance, a bout against the 37-year-old is seen as a far more favourable contest.
For a man who has long demanded a rematch with the Dagestani fighter, it came as a surprise to many that McGregor would be fighting at 170 pounds – a weight category where he enjoyed mixed success against Diaz in their two bouts.
McGregor’s last outing saw him compete at 170 pounds against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone
Unlike the Diaz fights, McGregor looked sharp and obliterated Cerrone in just 40 seconds
Stepping onto the scales ahead of the contest at the start of the year, McGregor looked an entirely different person to the title contender who faced Jose Aldo four years earlier.
And he looked just as threatening as he did on that famous night in December 2015, blitzing a sorry Cerrone in just 40 seconds to announce his return to the sport in which he took to new levels.
That display has opened plenty of doors for McGregor, with a number of the welterweight division’s top fighters calling for a match up with the star, the Khabib fight still an option as well as a catchweight fight, believed to be fought at between 170 and 185 pounds, against Anderson Silva desired by both McGregor and the veteran Brazilian fighter.
Dana White has cast doubt over a McGregor return in the next three months, but for a fighter all too willing to test himself in untested waters, nothing is off the table for Conor McGregor.
