Sports

Conor McGregor

A plumber's apprentice on welfare the week of his UFC debut; the promotion's first two-division champion.

Born: 1988 · Dublin, Ireland (raised in Crumlin)
Roots: Irish; working-class Dublin
Family: Working class; His father drove a taxi and his mother worked in sales; he abandoned a plumbing apprenticeship for the gym against their wishes.
Education: Left school for a plumbing apprenticeship, then left that for fighting
Started with: A welfare check; Collected €188 a week in benefits the same week he debuted in the UFC in 2013.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

2008 · age 19
Straight Blast Gym
Coach John Kavanagh takes on the brash plumber's apprentice.
2013 · age 24
UFC debut€188/week → $60K
A first-round knockout and a $60,000 bonus, days after the welfare office.
2015 · age 27
Thirteen seconds
Knocks out José Aldo for the featherweight title in the shortest championship fight in UFC history.
2016 · age 28
Two belts at once
Beats Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC's first simultaneous two-division champion.
2017 · age 29
The Mayweather fight~$100M
Loses the boxing crossover but reportedly earns around $100M.
2021 · age 33
Whiskey money$180M yr
His share of the Proper No. Twelve sale tops his fight earnings; Forbes ranks him the year's highest-paid athlete.
2024 · age 36
Civil judgment
A Dublin jury finds him liable for assault in a civil case and awards damages; he appeals. Legal troubles increasingly shadow the career.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.