Great Art Is No Substitute for Great Character
A Stoic take on Conor McGregor's seventy-second comeback—and what we can learn about ego, legacy and the work that never stops
At UFC 329, MMA superstar Conor McGregor made his final walk to the octagon.
After a five-year layoff, many inside the UFC orbit were excited about the return of the former 2-division champion (who had a rapid rise to fame between 2015-2020).
But not everyone was excited…
Conor had made some incredibly poor decisions during the height of his career and throughout his hiatus, inciting a lot of disgust in the broader community for his continued poor behaviour. His ego grew so large that he acted with impunity, causing harm and polarising people everywhere he went.
After spending years as the UFC’s poster child, Conor very quickly descended from inspirational to insane.
Someone who MMA fighters and fans alike credit for their introduction to the sport had now become one of the most unlikeable characters in the world. His ego and antics transcended martial arts both as an icon and as a villain.
The fight at UFC 329 against Max Holloway ended quickly.
Conor blew his knee out attempting a jumping switch kick in his very first movement. Once the knee was compromised, he was a sitting duck against the speed of Holloway, with the fight being called off after just 70 seconds.
And just like that, the comeback was over.
Everyone on planet Earth has had something to say about this man in the days following… disappointment, hate, indifference, etc.
Whatever your take, this moment is very illustrative of the responsibility we all have to our current and future selves, as well as what is possible when we shirk that responsibility.
So, here’s mine:
The Tumultuous Rise
Throughout the mid-late 2010s, Conor McGregor became synonymous with 2 things: mixed martial arts & ego.
To be a professional athlete, you need to be confident in your abilities, but to become a world-class mixed martial artist… you need to possess the kind of confidence, resilience and single-mindedness that most people cannot comprehend.
Conor broke the mould.
His ability to manifest and manufacture his destiny was like nothing my generation had ever seen before.
The same way that Eminem had inspired millions to put pen to pad in the early 2000s, Conor gave hope to kids across the world who were looking for a better life, showing them what was possible through martial arts.
However, his rise, fame and celebrity were always in question due to his inability to restrain the ego.
His constant indiscretions presented a picture of a man whose superpower and kryptonite were in coexistence. Conor had spent all of his life converting the body into a weapon and the mind into a fortress, but almost no time attempting to heal the heart or cleanse the soul.
The infractions ranged from lighthearted to abhorrent, but no less consistent:
Racism and homophobia (2017) — Accused of racist remarks toward Mayweather ("dance for me, boy"); caught using a slur at a UFC Glasgow event.
Nikita Hand assault (2018 → verdict 2024) — Civil jury found he assaulted and raped her in a Dublin hotel.
Khabib feud (2018) — Attacked a bus, injuring two and pleaded guilty. Attacked Khabib’s father, religion, and nationality; brawl, suspension and fine.
Fan’s phone smashed, Miami (2019) — Grabbed and stomped a fan’s phone and kept it. Charged with robbery; charges dropped after a settlement.
Dublin pub punch (2019) — Punched a 50-year-old man who refused a free whiskey. Caught on CCTV, pleaded guilty to assault, fined €1,000.
Sexual assault (2020) — Detained in Corsica over alleged indecent exposure and sexual assault; case dropped for insufficient evidence.
Altercation with Machine Gun Kelly (2021) — Lunged and threw a drink at MGK during the VMA’s.
Dangerous driving, Dublin (2022) — Charged with dangerous driving; five-month suspended sentence and two-year driving ban.
Sexual assault (2022) — Woman alleged assault on his yacht in Ibiza (including a broken arm claim); she dropped the civil suit a month later.
Sexual assault (2023) — Civil suit filed alleging sexual assault in a bathroom during the NBA Finals; Florida case is ongoing.
In many of the instances across his life, Conor has maintained innocence and in a lot of them, had the cases/suits dropped due to lack of evidence, but the pattern is undeniable.
A man consumed by his own mythology, dancing with the devil over and over again without fear of consequence or retribution.
Important Note: Conor has been in a long-term relationship with Dee Devlin throughout all of this; meeting in 2008, having four children between 2017 and 2023 and eventually marrying in 2025.
Clash of Character
There could not have been a more stark contrast in the personal lives of the two combatants of the UFC 329 main event.
After their initial meeting in 2013 (a fight that Conor won), the pair took very different paths in the thirteen-year gap. McGregor went on to become the first-ever two-division champion and one of the all-time greats, but was constantly embroiled in controversy before taking an indefinite leave from the sport in 2021 to pursue fame and money.
Holloway found his way to the featherweight title in 2017 and became one of the greats in his own right. Showing world-class striking and eventually captivating the world of sport with a brutal last-second KO at UFC 300. All the way, remaining committed to the sport and avoiding the limelight as much as possible.
Throughout this time, Max maintained a commitment to his family, martial arts and his homeland of Hawaii. He embodied what a true martial artist should look like.
Conor, by contrast, took the rockstar route. Flirting with all the seductive traps that life as a celebrity can present. Rubbing shoulders with Donald Trump and other polarising figures, engaging with in-vogue right-wing rhetoric and displaying a lack of commitment to any sort of moral code.
Their matchup was not simply MMA athlete versus MMA athlete; it was humility versus ego; purist versus opportunist.
The result was shocking, but not surprising.
The Work is The Work
I tend to look at most things through a Stoic lens.
The work of a man is never done. Conor believed his was. He believed that the years of grinding in the gym would be enough to lean on for the rest of his life.
Marcus Aurelius was a man with all the excuses in the world to not live by principles.
He was the most powerful person in the entire world, the head of the most powerful empire in human history, yet he resisted the pull of distraction, reminding himself constantly that “if you do the job in a principled way, with diligence, energy and patience, if you keep yourself free of distractions… then your life will be happy. No one can prevent that.”
He never stopped working.
Despite the power and fame that came with his appointment, Marcus believed that the only responsibilities he had were to his own principles and to the collective consciousness (ie. the wider community).
Marcus didn’t succumb to the power of gods and men, and he never put himself on a pedestal.
Conor shares no such beliefs.
Like many powerful men before him, he believed his standards superseded all others and that his view of the world was the only view.
The refusal to continue working, acknowledge your indiscretions and change course are all signs of a weak man, not a strong one. For too long, we have celebrated this version of masculinity as desirable and almost always are found to have been very far from the mark.
Strong men don’t abuse women. Strong men control their emotions. Strong men raise up their communities and lead by example.
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
―Marcus Aurelius
Protecting Your Future Self
One of the more interesting takeaways from this saga is McGregor’s recent embrace of his Christian faith.
The timing of his public commitment to God syncing up unusually well with other maligned public figures on the vibes-based political right, like Russell Brand and Donald Trump.
Too little, too late, some might say.
Although I do believe in redemption, I also believe in believing people’s actions over their words.
This is where protecting your future self becomes supremely important and cannot be overstated in all of our lives. We will all face crossroads and hardship, and we will all find ourselves in situations that challenge our values and principles—but how will we act?
Do we choose the path of least resistance, acting from a place of selfishness and self-absorption with no fear of consequence?
Or do we do the hard thing simply because it is the right thing?
Conor’s dedication to the sport of MMA has only been matched by his subservience to his own self-interest. At no point in his decorated career has he been concerned about his soul, his highest self and the ramifications of his poor judgment.
Choosing only to serve the ego and impulses of the flesh.
Protecting your future self means acting from a place of power and humility because one day you may have to answer for your actions.
Final Thoughts
This story is nothing new.
Powerful men have abused their power, become intoxicated by ego and torched their legacies since the beginning of time, but never have I seen such a visceral depiction of this energy culminate in a single action (jumping switch kick) while the world watched.
Conor will go down as one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever seen.
His ability to overcome adversity and dominate the globe as a mixed martial artist will always remain a source of inspiration for young fighters/athletes; it should also provide a cautionary tale of what can happen if the ego goes unchecked.
Great art or athletic prowess will never be a substitute for great character.
Our society rewards greatness. We prioritise a skill set over a set of principles, but your deeds and actions will always catch up.
Just make sure you’re ready when they do.
Thanks for reading!
With gratitude,
SAV
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