‘He’s Given MMA More Than He’s Taken From It’

Conor McGregor is not everyone’s cup of tea. While the mouthy, yet talented, Irishman has made quite a name for himself inside Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon, it’s the news that has marred his reputation outside of the cage that most people just can’t get with.

Current UFC Welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, is among those that can respect what McGregor has done when it comes to fighting, saying that while there are a lot of people who are quick to criticize him, you can’t deny anything he’s accomplished and what he has done for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

“I think he’s great for the sport,” Edwards said on the “Up Front With Simon Jordan” podcast via MMA Junkie. “He has definitely brought the sport forward to the casual fans. He is one of those guys that you either like him or you don’t like him, but he is who he is. What he’s achieved in the sport, you can’t take away from him.

“He did become the first ever two-division world champion. So even though he talks all that sh*t, he is actually a good fighter, as well, behind it. He definitely helped the sport. He didn’t take nothing away from it. He definitely gave more in terms of pushing it into the mainstream.”

Thanks to his success inside the cage, “Notorious” has been able to parlay it into a fat bank account, leading to various other opportunities such as a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather as well as major opportunities in Hollywood.

As far as what the controversial ex-champion does outside of the cage, Edwards isn’t too fond of it… but won’t be casting stones, either.

“I’m not an admirer of his. I’m judging him from the competitive part of it, the self-promotion part of it. His personal life is his own business. I couldn’t give two sh*ts about his personal life. It’s more about what he’s achieved in the game, his self-promotion part of it. To each their own. He’s not my mate.”

McGregor has been on the sidelines for the past 2.5 years as a result of injuries and other various setbacks. He is expected to make his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler, but we have been singing that song for a minute now and nothing has come of it.

For now, fight fans will have to settle for seeing “Notorious” on the big screen small screen opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the remake of “Road House,” which will stream on Amazon Prime on March 21, 2024 (see full trailer here).