Underdog Story of the Day - Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor

Priding himself on his roots, Dublin, Ireland, Conor McGregor wasn't always the lavish superstar that he is today. He grew up in a working-class family where being the king of combat sports didn't seem like much of an option.

Born on July 14th, 1988, McGregor grew up in Crumlin, a suburb of Dublin. At first, he was very interested in soccer but that soon changed when he began training at the Crumlin Boxing Club.

Here he would meet his now longtime coach, John Kavanaugh. After his first time sparring in one of Kavanaugh's gyms, McGregor beat up two of his best fighters in a session that Conor might've taken a little too seriously.

After that, Conor realized his desire to train as a fighter and instead of going to school, became a plumber by day and a fighter by night. Some days he would work 12 hour days before he could head to the gym. During his stint as a plumber is when he started dating his longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin, soon to be his biggest supporter and motivator.

Conor came to the decision that he wanted to go all in to train as a full-time fighter. His parents strongly disapproved of this decision, eventually getting into an argument with his father. Conor ended the conversation with, "you'll be sorry when I'm a millionaire."

He began his MMA career on March 8, 2008, for the London-based Caged Warriors. He went 4-2 before he went on to win his next 8 fights, becoming a two-division champion. From this, he was able to book his first UFC fight.

On April 6, 2013, McGregor made his UFC debut, defeating Marcus Brimage by knockout in the first round. Just a week before his debut, Conor collected a 188 euro welfare check to help him get by. Fast forward a week and he took home the prize for knockout of the night and a $60,000 bonus. His boat that he has today is named "The 188" in memory of those checks.

It was just the beginning.

He continued his undefeated streak in the UFC, breaking records along the way. He recorded the fasted knockout in a UFC title fight, knocking out Jose Aldo in a brief 13 seconds.

In 2016, McGregor became the first mixed martial artist to appear on the Forbes list of 100 highest-paid athletes.

Later, he landed a fight with Floyd "Money" Mayweather, where Mayweather wasn't the only one to earn a big payday. McGregor earned a rumored $100 million.

He now has an estimated net worth of $110 million.

McGregor would soon face conflicts with the law but despite this, encapsulates a thrilling rise to superstardom, a story that encourages all to follow their dreams.

WATCH: Conor McGregor talks about how he got to where he is

Wrap- up

Conor's life shows us that anything is possible regardless of your upbringing. He is his biggest believer and that is what has got him to the top of the fight game. Tom Brady says best, "if you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else believe in you?" If you believe, you are destined to achieve.