Top 5 Conor McGregor Rivalries

#4. McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour - London

Another one of Conor McGregor’s best rivalries was with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. McGregor was fresh off of his win over Eddie Alvarez to become the UFC lightweight champion. With the win, he now had a championship in two weight-classes simultaneously. McGregor also set various UFC pay-per-view buyrate records, which caught Mayweather's attention.

Mayweather had been a box-office attraction for years, and a boxing fight against the biggest star in the UFC was appealing. McGregor earned a reputation for his knockout power and competing against one of the greatest boxers of all-time was intriguing for both boxing and MMA fans alike. The two had gone back-and-forth on social media and it wasn’t long before the fight was made official.

The press tour was a spectacle with each stop providing memorable moments between the two. Mayweather would regularly bring up his wealth compared to McGregor, something that changed after the bout. The MMA fanbase rallied behind McGregor and hoped he’d be able to do the unthinkable and hand Mayweather his first loss.

All things considered, McGregor did surprisingly well against Mayweather. Winning several of the early rounds in most fans view. However, Mayweather still got his hand raised after defeating McGregor by tenth-round TKO. The fight was billed as ‘The Money Fight’ and it lived up to the hype.

'The Money Fight' generated 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in North America, making it the second-largest pay-per-view bout of all-time.

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#3. McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier

UFC 257: Poirier v McGregor Press Conference

Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Dustin Poirier intensified this year after things got personal after their second bout. The rivalry began early in their UFC careers and the two fighters have evolved a great deal since 2014.

The first bout took place at UFC 178. At the time, both McGregor and Poirier were two young fighters looking to get into title contention. In the end, it took McGregor only 1:47 to finish Poirier by TKO and pick up a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

The second fight was a much different story. With Khabib Nurmagomedov recently retired, McGregor vs. Poirier II had title implications and this time Poirier got the win.

Unlike the first fight, there wasn’t animosity between the two in leading into the rematch. This time, Poirier picked up the TKO win after dropping 'The Notorious' with a right-hand against the fence in the second round.

There was clear animosity between the two in the third fight, mainly stemming from McGregor talking trash about Poirier's wife. Poirier defeated McGregor for a second time by TKO. Poirier was awarded the TKO win via a doctor's stoppage after McGregor sustained a leg injury at the end of the first round.

Based on the aftermath of the third fight, this could be a rivalry that the UFC revisits in 2022.