Since Conor McGregor’s debut, the signs were clear. McGregor was destined to be a UFC superstar. 

The Irishman carried a major fan following behind him, and along with that, he had the look and the charisma of a champion. 

McGregor’s first championship belt came at UFC 189 against Chad Mendes. 

McGregor Winning his First UFC Title

The bout was at 145, McGregor’s former division, and it was for the interim Featherweight champion. The fight proved to be the toughest challenge for McGregor at that time. 

The American took McGregor down and rained elbows on him, making The Mystic Mac taste his own blood. 

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Mendes had a great start; however, by the second round, he was completely gassed. McGregor took advantage of that and landed some heavy shots on the wrestler. Mendes eventually wilted to the punches and got knocked out.

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The Notorious won the belt via TKO in the closing moments of the second round to become the new interim featherweight champion.

Conor McGregor’s Family Panicked During the First round

During the match, while McGregor was facing adversity on the ground, the Irishman’s mother rushed backstage in panic.

In an interview at MMA hour, McGregor’s father Tony McGregor said, “My wife panicked, and she ran into the back. His two sisters were huddled together hysterically, and I think Dee was rooted to the spot crying as well. And this was all in the first round.”

He also revealed how shocking it was to see McGregor in deep waters during the first round. He said, “We didn’t expect that at all. I was speaking to the fans after and they told me they’d cried during that. Nobody was expecting it whatsoever.”

McGregor took to his social media to pay a tribute to his mom after the fight. They were hugging in the post, along with the photo. The caption read, “I done it Ma :-)”

Conor McGregor went on to create a legacy post-UFC 189

Five months later, McGregor would win the undisputed championship against Jose Aldo at UFC 194.

In one of the biggest fights in the UFC during that time, McGregor delivered a highlight reel moment after he knocked out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds. 

The Notorious would eventually capture the lightweight strap as well, against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. He would become the first fighter in the UFC to hold two division belts simultaneously.

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