- Lewis Oldham
- 30 July 2022
WBC risk backlash by offering to rank Jake Paul after YouTuber calls out UFC star Conor McGregor
Mauricio Sulaiman has risked backlash by proclaiming that Jake Paul will enter the WBC rankings if he beats Hasim Rahman Jr.
Conor McGregor is a professional mixed martial artist and has fought professionally as a boxer. The Irishman is one of the most famous fighters on the planet and created history in 2016 by becoming UFC's first two-belt holder in as many weight classes with a TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez.
The "Notorious" is also known for his crossover boxing bout with former five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The American defeated McGregor via TKO in the tenth round to overtake Rocky Marciano's undefeated record at 50-0.
The fight is boxing's second most lucrative bout in history after Mayweather's fight against Manny Pacquiao. McGregor is world-renowned for his trash-talking and intimidation techniques.
He is known for his regular insults towards his opponents, including some of the below:
Mayweather
'Who the f*** is that guy?' (aimed at Jeremy Stephens).
'You'll do nuttin. You'll do f****** nutting!' (to Nate Diaz and his team).
'Mate, you're 40. Get that f****** phone out of your hand' (he told Mayweather).
'I've ridiculed everyone on the roster. And I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, I'd like to take this chance to apologise to absolutely nobody! The double champ does what the f*** he wants!' (Following his brutal knockout victory over Alvarez).
Conor McGregor's next fight
After his UFC victory over Donald Cerrone in January 2020, McGregor announced a few months later that he was retiring from MMA although he later reversed that decision.
McGregor returned to the octagon against Dustin Poirier in January 2021 and tasted the third UFC defeat of his career and second in three fights.
The loss is believed to have killed off any chance of a potential showdown with Pacquiao.
For the Irishman to have any chance of facing the Filipino icon, he will once again have to rebuild his reputation.
A trilogy bout with Poirier is an option alongside Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
UFC career
McGregor became a UFC sensation not long after his debut in 2013. He quickly rose up the rankings and beat Dennis Siver in 2015 to pick up his third successive 'Performance of the Night' award.
Fans and journalists started to realise his huge potential as a showstopper athlete and in the same year he won the interim featherweight title with victory over Chad Mendes via TKO.
Later that year, he defeated former Pound for Pound great Jose Aldo to become featherweight's outright world champion.
McGregor's next two UFC outings were against rival Nate Diaz. The pair regularly traded physical and psychological blows at press conferences leading up to their fights.
McGregor lost the first bout via submission but avenged his loss in the rematch. The rematch broke the UFC record for highest-selling pay-per-view at the time with 1.65 million buys.
McGregor
At UFC 205, McGregor made history by becoming the first fighter to hold world titles in two different weight classes. He easily dispatched Eddie Alvarez in the second round to add the lightweight belt to his collection.
After his inactivity in the Octagon and boxing match against Mayweather, the "Notorious" returned to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 for the lightweight belt. He lost via fourth-round submission as Khabib's groundwork proved very effective.
The Money Fight
McGregor would take on Mayweather in what would be known as "The Money Fight" in 2017. Both known for making boastful claims, they embarked on a four-city world tour, including London and Toronto, where they continued to brag about wealth, superstardom and their superiority.
McGregor had generated much of the attention by getting thousands of fans inside arenas to shout 'F*** the Mayweathers at Floyd and his entourage.
The fight, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the first fight for Mayweather since initially retiring for a second time after victory over Andre Berto in 2015.
With 4.3 million PPV buys, it became the second most lucrative event of all time with only Mayweather vs Pacquiao selling more in the United States at 4.6 million.
The live gate is believed to have generated $55.4 million after more than 13,000 tickets were sold.
Conor McGregor
Mayweather would stop McGregor in the tenth round and by doing so, moved to 50-0 and reportedly earned $275million.
Meanwhile, the Irishman's purse was estimated at $130million - the highest payday of his career.
Conor McGregor's net worth
According to Forbes, McGregor's net worth is believed to be around $48million as a result of his exploits in the ring, Octagon and endorsements.
McGregor is said to have been paid $30million for his victory over Cerrone in January 2020 when he returned to the sport from 'retirement'.
McGregor earns around $5million each year from his sponsorship deal with Reebok, which kits out the 'Notorious' with all of his fight and training gear.
In recent years, McGregor founded whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve, which you can buy in Ireland, Russia and America. It sponsored the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in 2020 and was seen on the ring cover.
He currently sits 53rd on Forbes' 2020 Celebrity 100 rich list and is 16th on their 2020 list of the world's highest-paid athletes.
Personal life
McGregor was brought up in Crumlin, Ireland, to Catholic parents Tony and Margaret.
He began boxing at the age of 12 at his local boxing club and would move to Dublin in 2006 where his MMA dream started thanks to future UFC competitor Tom Egan.
McGregor has been with his fiance Dee Devlin since 2008. They have two children together, Conor Jr. and Croia.
The family split their time between Dublin, Las Vegas and Marbella.
