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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Oisin Doherty

Conor McGregor earned a UFC contract ten years ago today

It was on this day, 10 years ago that Conor McGregor became the Cage Warriors Lightweight World Champion.

With that win, he became a double champion having already had the Featherweight title in his possession since the previous June.

Few would have predicted it at the time, but that night would be the beginning of a new era for MMA.

READ MORE: Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin in party mood at lavish wedding

Three months later, McGregor knocked out Marcus Brimmage in his UFC debut. After the fight, which lasted less than a minute, McGregor cheekily demanded the knockout of the night bonus and proclaimed "Dana, 50 Gs baby!"

We all know what happened next.

UFC president Dana White saw dollar signs and strapped a rocket to the Irishman.

Backed with a brash attitude and a stinging left hand to match, McGregor ran through the featherweight division and just two and half years after making his UFC debut, he finished Jose Aldo within 13 seconds to become the Featherweight Champion.

Two wars with Nate Diaz followed, the second of which is often considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history, before he rounded off 2016 by adding the Lightweight title to his collection after dispatching Eddie Alvarez inside two rounds.

Conor McGregor with coach John Kavanagh following the victory over Jose Aldo (Corbis/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Since that point, McGregor has had more losses than wins, yet he remains one of the biggest stars in the sport.

But all that UFC success stems from his performance on New Year's Eve in 2012.

Having won the featherweight title that summer, McGregor was expected to defend his title on the final Cage Warriors show of the year. When his opponent got injured, plans changed and McGregor moved up to Lightweight to take on reigning champion Ivan Buchinger.

With 1:19 remaining in the first round, McGregor knocked Buchinger out cold with what would soon become his trademark straight left hand.

The KO went viral, McGregor got his UFC contract and became one of the biggest celebrities in the World.

And it all began in front of less than a thousand people at the Helix Theatre in Dublin a decade ago.

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