Conor McGregor has listed the accomplishments he feels have earned him a spot in the UFC's Hall of Fame, including four record-breaking moments.
The Irishman has had an undoubtedly legendary career, and his huge star-power has helped take the UFC, as well as MMA, to new levels in terms of public recognition. But more recent fans won't remember his fighting peak, and may be aware of his less-than-stellar recent record in the octagon, as well as myriad issues outside of it.
He is one of the most famous athletes in the world, and the only MMA fighter to ever top the Forbes Magazine list of highest-paid athletes. And after watching his most hated rival Khabib Nurmagomedov be inducted to almost universal praise last week, McGregor made his case in a lengthy social media post.
"Looking forward to my own Hall of Fame entry all the same," he told his nine million Twitter followers. "I’m a shoo-in. First of everything. All the records. KO speed. Knockdown amount. KO’s most divisions. Financials. You name it. No rush though I’m still in to bust noses open and put opponents unconscious. A real goer."
He later added that it wasn't a Hall of Fame worth discussing without his induction, captioning a voice message of him singing Coolio's song Gangsta's Paradise by saying: "Who has the levels and the flow l have? No one that’s who. The wall of no fame ya’s can call it until I bounce in and rock it. Coolio in the gaf [sic] they call me."
McGregor is the UFC champion with the most knockdowns per 15 minutes in the promotion's history, coming in just behind heavyweight Pat Barry when all roster members with 10+ fights are considered. His win over Jose Aldo for the featherweight title in 2015 was the quickest in title fight history, and he has knockout victories in an unprecedented three weight classes.
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And that's not to mention his monumental career earnings, well into the hundreds of millions and more than any other MMA fighter in history. He topped last year's rich list for athletes in general despite only having one fight within the qualifying timeframe, earning $180m.
Nurmagomedov is the first of McGregor's 11 UFC opponents to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame, although Max Holloway and Jose Aldo will almost certainly end up there once they retire. McGregor mocked his old rival, whom he lost to in October 2018, by showing a photo with an ad for his Proper 12 whiskey covering his face during his induction speech.
The Russian, who hung up the gloves in a shock retirement in 2020 at his mother's request, was the headliner of this year's class that also included double champion Daniel Cormier. But McGregor has famously been unimpressed by his contributions to the sport, citing missed weights and an early retirement as reasons why he should not be considered a great.
