5 times Conor McGregor showed the world how to take a setback on the chin

#4 Conor McGregor bounces back from his rock bottom

Conor McGregor is arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court

Conor McGregor has had multiple run-ins with the law. Living up to his monicker, 'The Notorious' was first arrested following a stunt he pulled in 2018, when he and a bunch of his teammates invaded a UFC press event to send a message to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Since then, he has been arrested twice more after getting into an altercation in Miami in 2019 and being accused of sexual assault in 2020.

Three years ago today, Khabib Nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) became a UFC champion, but of course, the incident with Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) and the bus from two days before was still on his mind. What a week that was. pic.twitter.com/16ogUA8xk4

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 7, 2021

When McGregor returned to action after his first arrest at UFC 229, he had the opportunity to leave his dark past behind by recapturing the lightweight title. Instead, he lost to Nurmagomedov in embarrassing fashion, tapping out in round four after getting dominated the entire fight.

Then again, McGregor has proven over and over that he only needs one victory to get himself out of any PR turmoil. So that's exactly what he did at UFC 246 when he finished Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.

Conor McGregor at UFC 246

Just like Andy Dufresne in the 1994 classic The Shawshank Redemption, Conor McGregor crawled through a river of s*** and came out clean on the other side.

#3 Conor McGregor avenged his loss to Nate Diaz

UFC 202: Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor2

Conor McGregor became the first-ever UFC dual-champion after defeating then-lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez at UFC. His coronation could've come sooner, but fate – and Nate Diaz – had other plans.

Instead of fighting for a second title, UFC featherweight champion McGregor found himself standing opposite the younger Diaz brother at UFC 196. Though Diaz came in as a short-notice replacement for Rafael dos Anjos, he proved too big and sturdy for the Dublin native.

Free Fight Video: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II | https://t.co/vPjHIOOVLc pic.twitter.com/Zyu5EOYYES

— The Mac Life (@TheMacLife) June 29, 2021

Diaz handed McGregor his first defeat in the octagon after choking out the Irishman in the second round. Superstars like Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey never recovered after suffering confidence-shattering defeats. But not McGregor.

'The Notorious' came back stronger than ever three months later and avenged his loss to Diaz. Another three months later, McGregor made a quick turnaround against Eddie Alvarez to finally capture his second UFC title.