Conor McGregor and the power of positive thinking
In 2013, Ewan MacKenna interviewed Conor McGregor for The Irish Examiner. At the time, Conor was taking his first steps into the world of showbiz; not yet flush with cash, he spoke to Ewan on his way to McDonald's for a coffee, calling his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, on the way to ask for a lift home.
Clearly, a lot has changed in a few short years. In 2017, McGregor is famous for his flashy lifestyle; his designer wardrobe, expensive cars, and trips to Vegas on private jets.
On August 26th, he will fight professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr and take home more money than he could possibly know what to do with, win or lose.
Career Timeline
In 2013, Conor won his first UFC fight against Marcus Brimage. From there he fought and beat Max Holloway, Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Silver, Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo. Within that time, the 'Notorious' took home the interim featherweight title from Mendes and made headlines by knocking out Jose Aldo in a shock 13-second win.
It was in March 2016 that Conor faced his first loss against Nate Diaz, who he later went on to beat in August 2016. Later that year, McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez and took home his second belt, becoming the first fighter to hold two UFC championships at the same time (featherweight and lightweight).
Positive Visualisation
Whether you love him or hate him, McGregor has led a pretty impressive career thus far. So what's the trick to the UFC champ's success? He puts it down to passion and positivity.
"Honestly, I’d rather be poor. I’d rather have no money and just be training than in a job I don’t love. I don’t get that. If someone asked me advice about work, if you’re in a job you don’t love, just quit. You only live once and you want to chase what you want to chase," McGregor told The Irish Examiner.
McGregor has become the poster child for positive visualisation in recent years and is often quoted by those who follow the teachings of Rhonda Byrne's 2006 best-seller The Secret.
"This is the law of attraction. In this struggle, when things are going good and you visualise good things happening, that’s easy. What’s not easy is to do is when things are going bad and you’re visualising the good stuff. And that’s what I was able to do… Visualising good things in times of struggle, when you can do that, that really makes the law of attraction work," Conor told MMA Fighting
Secret Weapon
For the cynics out there, not everybody believes McGregor's success comes from positive thinking. According to UFC President Dana White, it is Conor's long-term partner Dee Devlin that keeps him motivated.
"So many of these guys leave their families so they don’t have to listen to any s**t. And they can shut themselves [off] from the outside world," White told the New York Post. "[Conor] doesn’t do that. He wants Dee to be near him."
"Someone who will believe in your dream with you is special. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is his soulmate," he continued.
There's no doubt that these two make a great couple, with Conor often speaking about his relationship with Dee to the press. Speaking to VIP Magazine, he said:
"She’d drive me to the gym, and she’d listen to all my dreams. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for her."
Whether it's the law of attraction or the positive influence of Dee Devlin, Conor McGregor's rise to fame has been meteoric. The Crumlin man has stepped out of the dole queue and onto a private jet in just four short years. Check out the gallery below to see Conor's rise to fame in pictures.
McGregor will fight Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas on Saturday, 26th of August 2017.
