Before Conor ‘Notorious’ McGregor became a UFC champion and a global superstar, he was busy forging his career on the European scene here at Cage Warriors.
In the lead up to UFC 246 on Saturday 18th January, we look back at his top 3 moments in the Cage Warriors gloves.
1. McGregor becomes 2-weight Cage Warriors Champion at CW51
Holding 2 UFC belts simultaneously wasn’t McGregor’s first time experiencing ‘Champ Champ’ status.
On New Years Eve in 2012, ‘Notorious’ added the Cage Warriors lightweight belt to his collection – having already won the Featherweight title – with a stunning one-punch knockout over Ivan Buchinger.
The UFC came calling soon after, and within just a few months McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6th 2013.
.@TheNotoriousMMA becomes 2-weight champion with a devastating KO over Ivan Buchinger on New Years Eve.#BestOfTheDecade – the events that defined our last 10 years!
🗓 CW51 – Dec 31st, 2012 – Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/4SSrQ8SApv
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 23, 2019
2. McGregor submits Dave Hill to win the Featherweight Title at CW47
Conor McGregor’s legitimate ground game has yet to be fully showcased in the UFC, despite being a brown belt under John Kavanagh, head coach at SBG Ireland.
But fans can be reminded of McGregor’s deadly jiu-jitsu skills with the impressive finish that won him the featherweight title in June 2012.
In one of the wildest moments of McGregor’s early career, he got the win, jumped onto the commentary desk and into the crowd in Dublin, Ireland!
He jumped onto the commentary desk and into the crowd!
Ahead of #UFC246, recap the submission win that won @TheNotoriousMMA the Cage Warriors featherweight title at CW47.
Not just a knockout artist.
Dublin went WILD 😱🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/PTNwBSwDGQ
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) January 8, 2020
3. McGregor knocks out Steve O’Keefe at CW45
Many fans pick this knockout as one of their favourite’s on McGregor’s Cage Warriors highlight reel, and for good reason.
CW45 saw McGregor land his first finish by way of elbows, and proved his creativity, dynamism and ability to attack from all angles. The fight took place at London’s Kentish Town Forum on 18th February 2012, and earned McGregor his first Cage Warriors title shot.
The rest is history.
Here’s a rare #ConorMcGregor KO you probably won’t have seen!@TheNotoriousMMA destroys Steve O’Keefe at Cage Warriors 45 🔥👊 pic.twitter.com/04Xjy4epKA
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 6, 2017
