When Conor McGregor was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated ahead of UFC 196

Conor McGregor poses for the media during the ceremonial weigh-in of UFC 264 ahead of his main event against Dustin Poirier in 2021

Conor McGregor found a place on the cover of the famed Sports Illustrated magazine in February 2016, a few days ahead of UFC 196.

McGregor had just made his first one million-plus pay-per-view buys in the UFC. They came with his historic 13-second knockout of then-featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in Las Vegas.

'Notorious' was then set to face fan favorite Nate Diaz in a high-profile welterweight contest next. Sports Illustrated put the Irishman on their cover with the caption: 'Conor McGregor - puts the fight in fighting Irish... and the fear in the rest of the UFC'.

"For the first time, @TheNotoriousMMA makes the cover of @SInow," the UFC had tweeted.

Here is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's social media post about McGregor from back then:

For the first time, @TheNotoriousMMA makes the cover of @SInow 👉 on.si.com/21ogtg8 https://t.co/sIwQKz8Q2I

McGregor holds a 22-6 win-loss record in his professional mixed martial arts career so far. He is currently ranked No.9 in the UFC lightweight contender rankings.

Conor McGregor hasn't been granted a lightweight title shot by the UFC

Conor McGregor last fought inside the octagon at UFC 264 in July last year. He suffered a broken leg during the main event against Dustin Poirier and has been out of action ever since. He is still slowly recovering from the injury.

McGregor's been calling himself the next title challenger for some time now. After defeating Poirier via submission at UFC 269 last month, lightweight champ Charles Oliveira expressed interest in facing 'Notorious'.

However, the UFC has booked a lightweight championship bout between Oliveira and No.1 contender Justin Gaethje as expected. The outing will take in May 2022 at UFC 274 as confirmed by ESPN MMA reporter Brett Okamoto:

"OLIVEIRA VS. GAETHJE IS ON, per UFC president Dana White. Championship fight will take place May 7, location TBD. What a fight. And Still? And New?"

See renowned mixed martial arts journalist Okamoto's confirmation of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje below:

OLIVEIRA VS. GAETHJE IS ON, per UFC president Dana White. Championship fight will take place May 7, location TBD. What a fight. And Still? And New? https://t.co/MJv2mMaqtK

It is still unclear who the Irishman will square off against next. He will most likely return to action in the second half of this year.