There’s only one Conor McGregor, but a million opinions
Be honest. Tell me how you you really feel. What's your take?
By now, you have likely developed an opinion on Conor McGregor. Just a scan of the internet these days, you won’t find a single boxer, MMA fighter, or coach in either sport who hasn’t given their two cents on the fight and the man.
A cross-section of these opinions is about as diverse as McGregor’s verbal repertoire or Floyd Mayweather’s car collection. The breadth of opinion is diverse yet the feeling is distinctly negative or positive. You love him or you hate him. If McGregor’s public reception is a heatmap, McGregor’s would look a lot more like this than this.
Like McGregor himself, there is very little room in the public discourse for shades of grey.
He’s a pro-LGBTQ advocate
He’s on the cutting edge of innovative training
He thinks about combat differently
He’s totally out to lunch
He’s a whack job zealot of Ido Portal
He's a natural ("You cannot teach somebody how to swing like that.")
He’s a rags to riches story
His wealth is exaggerated in, in some cases, fake
He doesn’t respect rules or ethics
He treats other fighters like enemies – and that’s fighters he isn’t fighting
He’s a psychic (“ It’s gonna be a first round KO. Mark my words.”)
He’s a genius
He’s a master at PR
He’s a self-interested egomaniac
He’s an adoring father
His public image is smoke and mirrors, like the Paulie Maglinaggi clip
He’s got a quick wit (‘Who de f**k was dat?’)
He caters to the lowest common denominator
He is the best promoter in the sport
He’s the A-side
He’s the B-side
He represents Ireland
He represents an Irish stereotype
He respects nobody
He’s humble in victory
He’s humble in defeat
In the end, McGregor is all of these things – not just one of them. As the saying goes, the truth is somewhere in between. It’s finding that middle that McGregor has kept us guessing at.
Rhys Dowbiggin @Rdowb
Rhys is the host of The Hurt Take on Not The Public Broadcaster