UFC 246: The humble origins of the 'Notorious' Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is heading to UFC 246 in his return to the Octagon. The 'Notorious' McGregor is going to be facing 'Cowboy' Cerrone in what will be a fight that determines the future of the Lightweight Division.

McGregor's return to the UFC is something that has made UFC 246 one of the most hyped events in the company for quite some time. That alone shows the importance that McGregor has in the world of Mixed Martia Arts.

Despite where he is now, no matter what people may think, McGregor did not start out in the same way.

The origins of Conor McGregor are far from spectacular, as he began in a small corner of Ireland, Crumlin, a suburb of Dublin. He was born in a working-class family, and they would move to Lucan, another Dublin suburb.

He would later join a plumbing apprentice, a job that he hated. During an interview with The Guardian, he said that he was waking up at 5 AM in the morning and walking in that freezing cold dark to the motorway. There he used to wait for a person that he did not even know to take him to the site. He then was driven back after 12 hours of back-breaking labor and walked home.

"I know there are passionate, skilled plumbers. But I had no love for plumbing."

It was March 2008 that McGregor decided that he would quit his job as a plumber. He then started to pursue what had become his passion in life, and that was Mixed Martial Arts. During an interview with VIP, he revealed that he decided to quit his job and pursue MMA.

"I was working as a plumber and then I just quit and decided that I was going to go for the mixed martial arts full-time, to chase the dream."

In fact, Conor McGregor's life even after he started his MMA career was quite the struggle. He lost two of his first three fights, but the breakthrough came when he fought in UFC for the first time in Sweden. He was able to win via a Knockout and got a $60,000 bonus for the 'Knockout of the Night'.

He revealed in the post-fight conference that he was on social welfare until the week before, because he had needed money to get by in his life, before making his UFC debut.

Now, about to enter the Octagon at UFC 246 in a fight against Donald Cerrone, Conor McGregor has said that he hopes to be a billionaire by the time that he is 35. The 'Notorious' fighter has come a long way.