Watch: Cage Warriors revisits old Conor McGregor knockout on Boxing Day
Cage Warriors has been a breeding ground for some of the UFC's biggest stars, such as Michael Bisping and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. However, the biggest of them all is undoubtedly Conor McGregor.
On Boxing Day, the Irish-owned MMA promotion shared footage of a young McGregor knocking out his opponent Ivan Buchinger with a brutal left hook on New Year's Eve, 2012. The shot is reminiscent of the one he later used in the UFC to beat Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds to win the featherweight title.
Check out McGregor's stunning knockout below:
🥊 Seeing as it's Boxing Day - we want to hear which Cage Warriors fighter, past or present, has the best boxing skills!? https://t.co/5kecWtMr8s
With the win against Buchinger, Conor McGregor won Cage Warrior's lightweight title to become a double champ. He had claimed the featherweight gold in June that year.
The Irish star has labeled this spectacular win as the cleanest one-shot KO in the sport's history.
On November 12, 2016, Conor McGregor went on to replicate the achievement by destroying Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. Thus, he became the first fighter in the UFC to simultaneously hold belts in two divisions.
McGregor's ascension to the top was swift. However, things haven't been quite as rosy for the former two-division champ. 'Notorious' has suffered three losses in his last four UFC fights, the last two being back-to-back defeats against Dustin Poirier.
When will Conor McGregor fight next?
Conor McGregor is still healing from a broken leg he suffered in his last UFC outing and expects to be back in full sparring by April 2022. The Irish megastar has not accomplished much inside the cage in his recent UFC appearances. However, he has not hidden his desire to fight for the lightweight title immediately upon his return.
So what date am I fighting Oliveira?
The idea of Conor McGregor fighting for the lightweight gold in his comeback fight may sound ludicrous, especially considering that he only holds one win in the division. Furthermore, the Irishman currently sits at No.9 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
However, considering that the UFC has bent the rules for 'Notorious' in the past, such a scenario is not completely out of the question.