Conor McGregor was once a hero to millions, now his reputation is in tatters

It was a year to the day on Friday since Conor McGregor tapped a message on his phone. Three sentences. Sixteen words. Every one of them packing a powerful punch, especially in Dublin.

That's because the city would explode into riots, with far right activists exploiting the outrage at a terrible stabbing at a school on Parnell Square. McGregor's post on X was the following - "Do not let any Irish property be took over unannounced. Evaporate said property. It's a war."

There were complaints made to the Gardaí over the post, and McGregor was publicly criticised by Tánaiste Micheál Martin. It was also the week of Katie Taylor's rematch with Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena and McGregor's Forged Stout was one of the sponsors of the Matchroom card.

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Promoter Eddie Hearn was questioned about this, with reporters pointing out that McGregor was a deeply divisive figure in Ireland. Hearn dismissed the questions, and was particularly strident in doing so in the post-fight press conference. Despite the questions, despite the complaints to the Gardaí, despite the words of the Tánaiste, there was a feeling that McGregor was untouchable.

Thanks to an incredibly brave woman called Nikita Hand, that is no longer the case. That it has come to this isn't a huge surprise as McGregor stopped being a sportsman a long time ago.

Instead, his erratic behaviour has made as many headlines as he once got inside the octagon. At one stage, he was picking fights with a bus rather than a man.

Two years ago, he plumbed even lower depths. Comedian PJ Gallagher made a mild joke about McGregor on Twitter. McGregor's response couldn't have been more vile, bringing up Gallagher's mental health issues and his marriage. Their online spat went viral and Paul McGrath - the most popular figure in the history of Irish sport - rowed in on Gallagher's side.

McGregor's response was to challenge both Gallagher and McGrath to a fight. McGrath was 63 years old, not far off pension age. Gallagher was 47. Brave man, McGregor...

This writer has been critical of McGregor's behaviour for a long time and this led to an online spat a few months ago where he branded me a turtlehead. Less than an hour later, McGregor was posting on social media that his partner, Dee Devlin, had just given birth to their fourth child.

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So, while his partner was in labour, he was abusing a journalist online....

Cults are dangerous things. They blind you to uncomfortable realities. Steer you away from awkward situations. Elevate mere humans to God-like status.

Conor McGregor is many things. Athlete. Multi-millionaire. Showman. He's also a cult leader. Whether that was by accident or design is debatable.

But millions around the world bought into the Cult of Conor McGregor. He has appeared in a big budget Hollywood movie alongside Jake Gyllenhall. He has hung out with both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Elon Musk and Russell Brand said he should be President of Ireland.

Now his reputation is in tatters. Who would want to be associated with him in the future?

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