"They didn't know what it was" - Conor McGregor shares a fascinating story of him convincing his parents to let him become an MMA fighter

Conor McGregor's parents were reluctant about letting their son explore the world of mixed martial arts. Back then, the sport wasn't as mainstream as it has become now, and the fighters' paychecks weren't hefty either.

Upon hearing McGregor's aspirations to compete in MMA, his parents remained suspicious of whether he'd earn enough money as a fighter to make a living.

In a recent interview with ESPN's popular sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, McGregor recalled a time when he had to convince his parents to let him become an MMA fighter.

'The Notorious' noted that MMA wasn't developed enough for his parents to understand the dynamic of the sport. According to the former two-division champ, they were always concerned about the financial aspect of the fight game.

"There was no game. It wasn't Iike I was going into a game. There was no game. I made this game. I built it up. My father said to me - at the time when I think it was Chuck Liddell and Tito (Ortiz), and those guys - 'how much do they make, can you make a living out of it?' and you couldn't, so I'm just trying to convince (my parents that) I'm going to make a living out of it. I'm going to make it a business where you can make a living. And that was basically it. They didn't know what it (MMA) was," said Conor McGregor.

McGregor made his amateur MMA debut in 2007. The following year, he enrolled at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin and started training under John Kavanagh. Prior to that, an 18-year-old McGregor worked as a plumber's apprentice.

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Conor McGregor is training his son in MMA

Conor McGregor is making sure that his son, Conor Jr, doesn't experience the same hardships he endured during his teenage years. If the four-year-old aspires to make a career in MMA, he will have his father's permission to do so.

"Yes! I’ve been training my son since day 1. He will be ready if he decides too," Conor McGregor responded to a fan on Twitter.

Yes! I’ve been training my son since day 1. He will be ready if he decides too. I am going to do this fight away from the family also. For a change. Fights and boppies and cuddles is a hard one to balance. I’m going into this one a wild dog. https://t.co/fnQbJKzK9J

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 9, 2021

McGregor is set to return to the octagon this weekend. He will take on Dustin Poirier for the third time in the main event of UFC 264.