Before UFC, Conor McGregor made a living fixing toilets – here’s what life was like before the Irish MMA fighter’s US$100 million fight against Floyd Mayweather
Millionaire Conor McGregor and fiancée Dee Devlin might be living the high life now, but before the MMA star got the attention of coach John Kavanagh he fixed toilets for a living, relied on social welfare and was even bullied at school
MMA fighter Conor McGregor might be No 16 on Forbes’ “World’s Highest Paid Athletes 2020” list, but he didn’t always live that rich life. Before his “money fight” with Floyd Mayweather – the one that earned him US$100 million – the Irishman was born into a working-class family and had a stint waking up at 5am to hitch rides to fix people’s toilets for a living. But he risked a stable job to follow his dreams and it all paid off.
He was bullied at school
He might be feared in the octagon today, but the MMA champ was bullied when he was a boy growing up in Ireland. He apparently used to get teased regularly by older kids and sometimes things would turn physical. If he wasn’t able to dodge the schoolboy fights McGregor’s strategy was to keep a dumbbell in his bag in case he needed a weapon to defend himself.
He used to be a plumber
Before his MMA career kicked off, McGregor was an apprentice plumber who spent up to 12 hours a day fixing pipes and toilets. He told The Guardian, “I was waking at 5am and walking in the dark, freezing cold until I reached the motorway and waited for a guy I didn’t even know to take me to the site … I know there are passionate, skilled plumbers. But I had no love for plumbing.”
His parents didn’t approve of his career switch