Conor McGregor is the highest-paid UFC athlete for a while now. The Irish star captured three UFC championships in the lightweight and featherweight divisions. ‘The Notorious’ has been nothing but a blessing for Dana White’s promotion. However, there was a time when the promotion almost passed on this charismatic star.

The Irish star was racking up wins one after the other in the Cage Warriors MMA promotion but the UFC was his ultimate dream. And he achieved it in 2013 but there was a back story to it.

Sean Sealby could not fit Conor McGregor in the featherweight division

A resurfaced tweet shows an email from Sean Shelby to Conor McGregor’s teammate Gunnar Nelson’s father Haraldur Nelson. The tweet from Sean Shelby replied, “The featherweight division is terribly impacted from so many UFC lightweights moving down in weight. So, I’m not looking to sign anyone else for a while.”

This rejection for the Irish star did not affect his performances in the cage, as a month later, he captured the lightweight championship in Cage Warriors. McGregor was already the featherweight champion of the promotion.

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Soon after, the premier MMA organization signed the star Irishman. Perhaps his potential to move in weight was something UFC saw in McGregor.

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Also, the crowd at Cage Warriors was always on their feet whenever there was a Conor McGregor show in the town. Even before his UFC arrival, the self-proclaimed Face of the Fight Game always had his ways with the fans.

McGregor’s PPV numbers played a crucial role in the UFC getting sold for $4 billion in 2016. Further, the promotion gained a lot of mainstream attention after the mega-crossover clash with Floyd Mayweather. Thus, UFC’s final decision to have him on the roster saved them big bucks.

‘The Notorious’ has already amassed a Hall of Fame career

The Irish star was on an incredible winning streak when he arrived in the American promotion. ‘The Mystic Mac‘ captured the UFC interim and undisputed championship before leaving the featherweight division.

The Irish star faced Nate Diaz at short notice at UFC 196 after then-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of the main event fight.

McGregor suffered and avenged his first loss and later in the same year captured the 155 lbs belt from Eddie Alvarez. This made him the first-ever simultaneous UFC double champion. And perhaps this was enough for a Hall of Fame career for the biggest cash cow of the promotion, who brought more eyeballs to the sport than any other athlete.

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After Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor has been the biggest PPV draw in combat sports history for the past two decades.

What do you make of this incident that almost caused the UFC of the combat sport’s biggest star? Share your views in the comments section.