5 times that Conor McGregor delivered under immense pressure

#4 Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier – UFC 178

Conor McGregor rose to the occasion in his first fight with Dustin Poirier, knocking him out in the first round

Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Dustin Poirier is now widely recognized as one of the biggest in UFC history. However, back in 2014 at UFC 178, it was simply a clash of two rising featherweight prospects.

What’s more, Poirier was widely tipped by MMA analysts to hand the Irishman his first defeat inside the octagon. After all, ‘The Diamond’ was much more proven in the UFC, holding a total of eight victories compared to McGregor’s three.

But ‘The Notorious’ was not intimidated by Poirier’s burgeoning reputation. He labeled ‘The Diamond’ a journeyman, and told everyone who’d listen that he’d knock him out in the first round.

McGregor’s ‘Mystic Mac’ routine was entertaining, but it also piled the pressure onto his shoulders. If he were to lose to Poirier, he’d come away with serious egg on his face.

In a stunning performance, the Irishman rose to the occasion and shrugged off the pressure. He fought brilliantly, and lived up to his prediction – knocking Poirier out with a lancing left hand with less than two minutes gone.

Rewind the clocks ⏳⏮ Look back on @DustinPoirier vs @TheNotoriousMMA from #UFC178 now. #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/fgl3FuQ60l

— UFC (@ufc) November 23, 2020

The win sent a stark message to the rest of the UFC – the loud-mouthed, cocky ‘Notorious One’ was absolutely for real, and was ready to climb his way to the top.

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#3 Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes – UFC 189

Conor McGregor defeated Chad Mendes at UFC 189 despite being under serious pressure

By mid-2015, Conor McGregor was all set for his first UFC title shot as the promotion booked him to face longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

However, McGregor’s detractors claimed that he’d been artificially built up, and had never proven himself against top competition. Most notably, they claimed he’d never faced a high-level wrestler.

The claim was true – McGregor’s early UFC opponents were all strikers – but naturally, ‘The Notorious’ was primed to prove that he could defeat a tricky stylistic match-up.

UFC 189 gave him that opportunity, but it also came with a unique sense of pressure. He was supposed to fight Aldo that night, but when the Brazilian picked up an injury, Chad Mendes – one of those wrestlers – stepped in on late notice.

That didn’t stop the UFC pushing the event as arguably their biggest of all time. With live performances from Sinead O’Connor and Aaron Lewis prior to the fight, McGregor vs. Mendes suddenly became a much bigger bout than it had any right to be.

On this day in 2015, Conor McGregor faced off in one of his toughest fights against Chad Mendes... 🙌🙌 📹 @ufc pic.twitter.com/wywgfbLxzm

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 11, 2019

‘The Notorious’ could’ve been forgiven for crumbling under pressure, particularly against a proven opponent like Mendes. Instead, he stepped up like never before, escaping from Mendes’ takedowns to destroy him on the feet en route to a second round TKO.

Not only had Conor McGregor once again risen to the occasion when the pressure was on, he’d thrived on it.