Conor McGregor’s journey to UFC glory started in 2012 when he became the Cage Warriors dual-weight champion in spectacular fashion.
‘Notorious’ held the Cage Warriors featherweight belt and had the chance to become a two-weight titleholder when he fought lightweight fighter Ivan Buchinger on New Year’s Eve.
McGregor won two Cage Warriors belts before signing with the UFCCredit: Cage Warriors
The Irishman realised his dream when he expertly avoided Buchinger’s punches before countering with a shot that left the Slovakian star unconscious on the canvas.
Soon after, McGregor was signed by the UFC and the rest is history.
The man who went on to repeat his double champion feat in Dana White’s promotion is widely regarded as the biggest MMA star 11 years later.
‘Mystic Mac’ is also rich beyond his wildest dreams after parlaying his success into monster fight purses and a business empire – he’s now worth approximately £200 million.
Meanwhile, Buchinger, 37, is still striving to become a champion again after previously holding titles in Cage Warriors, M-1 Global and OKTAGON.
The 41-8 fighter, who will face Ronald Paradeiser in a lightweight title bout at OKTAGON 50 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, this weekend, is frequently forced to watch his most famous defeat.
Many years and wins later, McGregor’s last Cage Warriors bout still goes viral every so often, but the man on the receiving end of his knockout punch doesn’t mind at all.
In fact, he’s got nothing but good things to say about the Dubliner.
Buchinger was his last victim on the regional sceneCredit: Cage Warriors
The Slovakian rebounded to have a solid MMA careerCredit: @ivanbuchinger – instagram
“Conor is a big icon, and people like watching his wins,” Buchinger told talkSPORT.com.
“Conor is a big icon in the sport, and I remember him fondly. Back then everything was different, I thank him a lot because he gave me a lot in my subsequent fights.”
“Right from the beginning I saw a confident, charismatic, and very skilled opponent. But I didn’t expect him to turn out to be as good as he got.”
At this stage of his career, Buchinger is content with everything he’s achieved and just hoping he can help take MMA in Slovakia to the next level.
Another world title heading back to the country will help him do that.
