The 23 Best Conor McGregor Quotes
When Conor McGregor debuted in the UFC just over seven years ago, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that he was already a superstar. The crowd was electric for his walkout and erupted when he knocked out Marcus Brimage in 67 seconds. Immediately, he was on a rocket ship.
He ended up becoming not just some superstar, but one of the most famous people on the planet and the biggest MMA icon we’ve had to date. He did that not just with elite performances like knocking Featherweight king José Aldo in 13 seconds and making Eddie Alvarez look like an amateur to win the 155lb title, but with another kind of weapon – his fighting words.
Ireland played a huge part, his skills played a huge part, but what shot Conor McGregor into the stratosphere was the combination of the two with his witty shots at the opposition and predicting things almost Nostradamus-like before they happened.
While Conor McGregor publicly negotiates with the UFC for a fight with Dustin Poirier, we’ve compiled a list of some of his best quotes with some context for a few of them about why they hit so hard. Get some popcorn and enjoy.
1. “Who the fuck is that guy?”
Maybe the most repeated Conor McGregor quote of all time, this one took place at the press conference for UFC 205 and was aimed at Jeremy Stephens. Conor later admitted that he did indeed know who Stephens was, but the timing and tone on it were too perfect to let that diminish it.
2. “You can call me Mystic Mac because I predict these things.”
3. “It’s tradition. I remove a head, I bring it backstage, I place it on Mr. Fertitta and Mr. White’s desk, ‘here you go, boss, another one done’, and then we discuss big business.”
4. “I just want to take this chance to apologize… to absolutely nobody! The double champ does what the fuck he wants!”
5. The only weight I care about is the weight of them checks and my checks are always super heavyweight.”
This one came at the expense of Nate Diaz a short while before the pair’s first fight at UFC 196. Conor, a 145lb fighter, was scheduled to fight for the 155lb title but when Nate stepped in, he told him to get comfortable and meet at 170lbs. He also gave Nate his biggest payday until that point, by far.
6. “Timing beats speed. Precision beats power.”
7. “Surprise, surprise, motherfuckers. The king is back.”
8. “If one of us goes to war, we all go to war.”
9. “We’re not just here to take part, we’re here to take over.”
10. “Blood will be spilled, but it will not be bad blood.”
When Conor McGregor fought Cowboy in January, though they had traded shots at multiple press conferences in the past (with the line that next appears on this list amongst others), the energy was different and this quote is representative of that.
11. “Another broke, jealous, bitter fighter. The game seems to be full of them.”
12. “Just last week I was collection the social welfare, you know what I mean? I was even saying to them ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I’m signed to the UFC, I don’t know what… blah blah blah’ but now I suppose I’m just gonna tell them to fuck off.”
13. “I am cocky in prediction. I am confident in preparation. But I am always humble in victory or defeat.”
14. “What are you doing with a schoolbag on stage? You can’t even read.”
The promotional tour stops for the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight got ugly by the end, but the highlight of any of the four stops was easily the Toronto stop. Although I believe Floyd won the verbal sparring aspect of things as well as the actual fight, this line got arguably the biggest reaction of the day.
15. “When you sign to fight me, it’s a celebration. You ring back home, you ring your wife. ‘Baby, we done it. We’re rich, baby, Conor McGregor made us rich. Break out the red panties.”
16. “Winners focus on winning. Losers focus on winners.”
17. “I am not afraid of saying something and going and pursuing it. That’s it. I see it in my mind. I say it out loud, I go and do it.”
18. “You must improvise, adapt, and overcome.”
The great thing about many of Conor’s inspirational words is that they’re not restricted to fighting or even sports in general. This is one of them.
19. “Me and Jesus are cool. I’m cool with all the Gods. Gods recognize Gods.”
20. “These custom-made suits ain’t cheap. This solid gold pocket watch… Three people died making this watch.”
21. “He makes gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand.”
22. “There’s two things I really like to do and that’s whoop ass and look good. I’m doing one of them right now and on Saturday night, I’m doing the other.”
23. “We can either run from adversity or we can face our adversity head-on and conquer it.”
This one came after Conor McGregor’s first loss in the UFC, a second-round submission to Nate Diaz. The way he took the loss was incredible and of course, he came back to win the rematch five months later.
