3 predictions Conor McGregor got absolutely right and 2 he got horribly wrong
UFC superstar Conor McGregor has never been one to shy away from the microphone. One of the best trash talkers MMA has ever seen, he has carved a niche for himself as an astute exponent of mental warfare who gains an advantage well before stepping into the cage.
McGregor has even earned the moniker 'Mystic Mac' for predicting how and when he'll beat his opponents. However, some bold predictions haven't aged well.
Here are 3 predictions Conor McGregor got absolutely right and 2 he got horribly wrong.
#5 Right - Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez (2016)
Ahead of his quest to become the first simultaneous champ-champ in UFC history, Conor McGregor exuded confidence. Eddie Alvarez, who had claimed the lightweight title with a superb win over Rafael dos Anjos, lost most of the verbal exchanges ahead of their UFC 205 bout.
Speaking about how he'd put Alvarez away, McGregor predicted a first-round knockout.
"I have everything on him: reach, height, everything so I don’t see him getting out of the first round. If he does, great, I’ll take my hat off to his toughness; he’s a tough dude. He can get in a fight and he’s been doing it a long time but tough is not enough to go against me," Conor McGregor said.
While he couldn't achieve that objective, he put in a masterful performance against 'The Underground King', dropping him multiple times before finally sealing the TKO win in the second round. The display against Alvarez is arguably McGregor's best-ever showing in the Octagon.
#4 Wrong - Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 1 (2016)
After UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos had to pull out of his title defence against Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz stepped in on short notice to take on 'The Notorious' in a welterweight bout.
McGregor, who hadn't tasted defeat in over five years, was understandbly confident against an opponent who had won only two of his last five fights in the UFC. He predicted a first-round knockout, severely underestimating Diaz's grit and chin.
"I respect Nate. Don't get me wrong, I do respect Nate. There's a respect there between us, but it's business in there. And business is business. He will be KO'd inside the first round."
McGregor did get off to a good start, as he put the pressure on Diaz and cut him up in mutiple places. But the Irishman gassed rapidly, and was tapped out in the second round to snap a 15-fight win streak.
McGregor exacted his revenge over Diaz almost immediately, but his pre-fight prediction wasn't one of his better ones.
#3 Right - Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo (2015)
Conor McGregor's 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to claim the UFC featherweight title is the stuff of legend, and it's admirable just how perfect his performance was - both inside and outside the cage.
McGregor wound Aldo up with a variety of antics in the lead-up to the fight, and had the champion visibly shaken during the pre-fight staredowns. To add insult to injury, the Dublin native gave an elaborate description of how he would get the better of Aldo:
"I felt when we stared down, I felt his right hand was twitching, which was a subtle tell for me. He's ready to unload that right hand and I feel that could be a downfall for him. If he lets that right hand go, I will not be there. I simply enter the way I enter and that is it. They either over-extend or they shrink away. Either way, it is not good for them. I will create traps and dead space inside that Octagon. I will walk him into that dead space. All of a sudden he will be in danger."
McGregor lived up to his word, as he dispatched the Brazilian to record the fastest title fight finish in UFC history.
#2 Wrong - Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov (2018)
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the highest-selling PPV in UFC history, much of which was down to the intense pre-fight build-up.
The evident bad blood between the two fighters threatened to boil over at any point, and both predicted that they'd dominate the other. McGregor, who was making a return to the Octagon after facing Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, had the following to say:
"[I predict] a devastating KO. [He is] too easy to hit, too flat-footed, too predictable. I'm gonna knock him clean out."
Unfortunately, McGregor couldn't have been more wrong. He was even outboxed by Khabib, who dropped him and took him down repeatedly before submitting him in the fourth round.
#1 Right - Conor McGregor's famous Forbes prediction (2016)
In 2016, Conor McGregor was seen interacting with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who was at the top of the Forbes list for highest-earning athletes, joked that he owned a private jet, to which McGregor replied that he harbors the same ambition. The then 27-year-old stated that he'd catch up with the Portuguese on the list someday.
"You're number one on Forbes's list. I was like, number 35. I'll get up," Conor McGregor said. "Maybe next year I'll get you."
And that's exactly what he did in 2021. According to a recent Forbes report, Conor McGregor earned USD 180 million over the last year, becoming the first MMA fighter to top such a list. Ronaldo, on the other hand, recorded USD 120 million in net earnings to be placed third.