"He eats pressure" - When Joe Rogan marveled at 5-year Conor McGregor rise from accepting welfare to being worth $100 million
Joe Rogan once marveled at Conor McGregor's rapid rise to success within a five-year span. The UFC color commentator recalled contacting McGregor in 2013 which was the year 'Notorious' made his UFC debut. Rogan noted that the Irishman had made himself worth $100 million by 2018.
Rogan also shared UFC President Dana White's words about McGregor, which the podcaster found to be accurate. According to Rogan, White said that 'The Notorious' feeds off the pressure. The UFC color commentator said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience:
"I contacted him on Twitter in like 2013, right?! By 2018 he is worth a hundred million dollars. You know what Dana White said to me once about him that's dead on? He said he [McGregor] eats pressure. He said that guy eats pressure, he just eats it. He just goes in there and the more pressure he experiences, the better he can perform."
Watch the clip below:
While Conor McGregor is arguably the biggest superstar the sport has ever seen, the Irishman has not always had it this easy. 'The Notorious' collected his last welfare check of around $235 from the Irish government right before making his promotional debut at UFC Sweden in 2013.
Below is the tweet that Rogan was referring to in the above clip:
@TheNotoriousMMA I just caught your fight, Conor. Congratulations, you looked sensational! Hope to see you in the UFC someday. Best of luck!
Joe Rogan believes Conor McGregor needs a "tune-up fight" for his return
Conor McGregor has been out of the octagon for more than a year after suffering a freak leg injury. However, the Irishman continues to be one of the biggest draws on the UFC roster with no dearth of high caliber opponents looking to fight him.
McGregor has received callouts from uncrowned lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and former title contender Michael Chandler. 'The Notorious' has even hinted at a move up to welterweight to challenge Kamaru Usman for the title.
However, Joe Rogan believes the Irishman needs some sort of a warm-up fight for his return to the octagon before moving on to elite competition. The UFC color commentator said on a recent episode of Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson:
"If Conor wants the most chance of success, I would say fight a guy who is a little below championship level. Maybe a guy on the come-up, who Conor has an advantage over, but it’s still a competitive fight. Give him a test, but don’t put him in there right away with Usman. I think, honestly, when boxers come back from a long layoff and they come back from a loss, one thing that boxers do that’s smart is they have a tune-up fight."
Watch Rogan's appearance on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson below: