Eight years ago today, Conor McGregor became a champ-champ in Cage Warriors
Eight years ago today, Conor McGregor became a champ-champ in the Cage Warriors MMA organization. McGregor, the then-Cage Warriors featherweight champion, won its lightweight title on December 31st, 2012.
Conor McGregor’s Cage Warriors champ-champ accomplishment has been acknowledged by ESPN MMA on its official Instagram page (*courtesy: Cage Warriors). Fans can check out a video clip of McGregor winning the Cage Warriors lightweight title and becoming champ-champ in the Instagram post below:
It was at Cage Warriors: 47 on June 2nd, 2012, that Conor McGregor faced Dave Hill for the Cage Warriors featherweight title. McGregor defeated Hill with a rear-naked choke submission in round two of the fight, impressively winning the featherweight title.
Following this, McGregor moved up in weight in his next fight at Cage Warriors: 51 on December 31st, 2012. McGregor went up against Ivan Buchinger with the Cage Warriors lightweight title on the line. The Notorious One put on yet another brilliant performance, knocking out Buchinger in the very first round of the matchup.
Conor McGregor’s spectacular victory over Buchinger earned him the Cage Warriors lightweight title. McGregor thereby became one of the rare athletes to become an MMA champ-champ, holding both the Cage Warriors featherweight and lightweight titles.
Conor McGregor’s left-hand strike has shined throughout his MMA career
One of the most intriguing points about Conor McGregor’s performance against Ivan Buchinger – the fight in which McGregor became a champ-champ in Cage Warriors – was the Irish striking savant’s left hand.
McGregor brilliantly slipped a one-two from Buchinger and landed a lightning-fast counter left hand. The left hand was so crisp that it KO’d Buchinger instantly, earning McGregor a picture-perfect one-punch KO win.
The silver-tongued Irish superstar, whose trash-talking skills and combat skill-set wonderfully complement one another, eventually went on to compete in the UFC. The fight mentioned above, in which he became the champ-champ, was his final fight in the Cage Warriors organization.
McGregor’s next fight was his UFC debut in April of 2013, in a battle that witnessed him beat Marcus Brimage via first-round TKO. This fight was McGregor’s return to the featherweight division.
Furthermore, Conor McGregor went on to win both the featherweight and lightweight titles in the UFC – with his outstanding striking skills and vicious left hand in particular – holding both titles simultaneously as the champ-champ akin to his feat in Cage Warriors.
Presently, Conor McGregor is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier in a high-stakes five-round lightweight bout at UFC 257 on January 23rd, 2021.