When Conor McGregor's father shared emotional story about UFC star - "That always gets me, my boy becoming a man"
Conor McGregor's name will forever be etched in history for his many contributions to MMA. While he is undoubtedly the biggest superstar the sport has ever seen, the Irishman's father Tony McGregor wasn't initially confident in his son's choice of career.
Interestingly, McGregor's father admitted that there was a particularly significant moment when he realized that his son could handle himself in a brutal sport like MMA.
During the early days of McGregor's career, his father remembers nervously watching the Irishman's opponent walk to the cage. His worries were put to rest by his own son's walkout, as he realized that 'The Notorious' had matured into a man.
Tony McGregor said in an earlier interview with BT Sport:
"When his opponent was called out, I just saw this big, block house coming out to music and lights. I looked at this guy and he was more mature in years than Conor, he would’ve been about 25, 26 or 27, even. And I thought, ‘Oh boy, this is my son’s opponent.’ And then they announced Conor and Conor came out to the music and lights, and when he walked down that ramp, I didn’t see a boy then, I saw a man. That always gets me... My boy becoming a man. It just gets me all the time."
Conor McGregor’s dad with a great story about watching a young @TheNotoriousMMA fight https://t.co/BEZuDmqmDe
When Conor McGregor's father asked him to get a "real job"
While Conor McGregor now features on Forbes' list of highest paid athletes in the world, his career has not been a cakewalk. According to the Irishman, his father once asked him to entertain the idea of an alternate profession on the day of a fight.
'The Notorious' claimed that his father asked him to consider a "real job" if he lost the bout. The former UFC double champion wrote in a now deleted tweet:
"I was fighting in the Good Counsel GAA club in Drimnagh years and years ago. And on the morning of the fight me da said to me 'if you lose this are you going to get a real job?'"
McGregor has been out of action since his loss to Dustin Poirier in July last year. He is reportedly set to return later this year.