5 times Conor McGregor showed the world how to take a setback on the chin
Conor McGregor will try to overcome what could possibly be the biggest setback of his career when he goes face-to-face with Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264. The highly-anticipated trilogy fight between 'The Notorious' and 'The Diamond' will take place on Saturday, July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This isn't the first time, however, that McGregor has faced major difficulties inside and outside the octagon. In fact, the Irish mega-star has made a career out of proving there aren't odds too steep to shatter and obstacles too difficult to overcome.
In a few days, McGregor will have the opportunity to put his undying resilience on display once again. Ahead of McGregor's much-awaited return to the octagon, let's take a look at five times the Irishman got back to his feet after suffering proverbial knockdowns.
#5 Conor McGregor gets denied entry into the UFC
Conor McGregor overcame adversity the moment he stepped foot inside the octagon. Today, McGregor is undeniably the biggest star in the company. But back in 2012, he was just another fighter in the minor leagues trying to make it into the world's largest MMA promotion.
Nine years ago, McGregor's former manager, Halli Nelson, made a big push to try and get 'The Notorious' Irishman into the UFC. At the time, Nelson had his son, Gunnar, signed to a UFC contract and was planning to do the same for McGregor.
However, a leaked email exchange between Nelson and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby revealed that the promotion almost missed out on the signing of a lifetime. Believing that the UFC featherweight division was too crowded, Shelby told Nelson that he wasn't looking to recruit new talent and passed on McGregor.
But McGregor continued to dominate the underground MMA scene. He finally caught the UFC's attention when he knocked out Ivan Buchinger at Cage Warriors 51. And just like that, the UFC finally brought the Irishman in a few months after initially turning him away. The rest, of course, is history.