After defeating Eddie Alvarez via TKO in the second round at UFC 205 back in 2016 – to win the lightweight title and become the UFC’s first ever double-champ – coach John Kavanagh asked Conor McGregor to consider retiring from mixed martial arts. “Right, you’re done. All the best. Enjoy the rest of your life,” Kavanagh recounted, speaking to Joe Rogan years later about his conversation with McGregor.
To his mind it seems, McGregor had achieved every meaningful goal in MMA. He had created a legacy as the first UFC fighter to hold two belts at once. He had made a pile of money.