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“It was all or nothing with the game. I felt like I had enough talent, I thought it was time to pack up my job and chase my dream” and repeat. Training and success have bred confidence. But even the Notorious gets starstruck. On meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger, McGregor is visibly starstruck, grinning like a Cheshire cat when the Terminator delivers his most famous line: “I’ll be back”. McGregor invites Schwarzenegger to the Mayweather fight, and looks at Dee, mouth agape, when the action star leaves. His ease with a microphone in front of thousands of fans makes it easy to forget that he hasn’t yet reached 30. Then there’s his business portfolio away from the ring. Endorsement deals with Beats by Dre, Monster Energy, Reebok and Bud Light to name but a few. He wants to become a partner in the UFC. He’s making moves in the promotor industry, too. He’s just joined with made-to-measure tailor David August to launch August McGregor, in January 2018, creating suits to emulate his own sense of style. He’s also looking at the drinks industry, with P Diddy and Ciroc Vodka as his inspiration. At the premiere of Notorious, McGregor stated his admiration for the rapper: “You know P Diddy doesn’t even make music? He’s worth $750m (£566m) and he doesn’t even make music – he makes vodka. We’re following this formula.” Unfortunately for the aspiring
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Irishman, plans to launch his whiskey empire under the Notorious moniker might have hit a snag, after a lawsuit was filed blocking McGregor from trademarking the name across Europe. A Indian pale ale having been already trademarked under the same name. So, what next? There are strong indications that Oscar De La Hoya, winner of 10 titles in six separate weight divisions in boxing, is looking at returning to the ring at 44 to take on McGregor. De La Hoya actually challenged McGregor on his promotions company’s radio show: “I’ve been secretly training. I’m faster than ever and stronger than ever. I know I can take out Conor McGregor in two rounds. I’ll come back for that fight.” It would certainly be another big hit with pay-per-view audiences, and a more realistic chance at victory for McGregor than his boxing debut. McGregor himself has his eye set on returning to the cage for the first time since November 2016, with provisional dates set with the UFC. There might be a stumbling block, however, after McGregor leapt into the cage unauthorised at Bellator 187 – a rival to UFC – to celebrate his friend and teammate Charlie Ward’s win. A scuffle with the referee ensued, followed by calls for a ban. Sanctions seem unlikely though, given that no one pulls in the crowds like McGregor – he’s achieved the biggest pay-per-view MMA audience ever (1.65m vs. Nate Diaz) and the biggest boxing audience, too (6.7m vs. Mayweather). In the film’s opening minutes, we hear from a young McGregor, on his decision to quit his job as a plumber and fight fulltime: “It was all or nothing with the game. I felt like I had enough talent, I thought it was time to pack up my job and chase my dream. And that’s what I’m doing… I’m the fucking future.” ‘Conor McGregor: Notorious’ is available on DVD and digital download from Amazon and iTunes now
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