Conor McGregor shared a rare moment of real emotion with media in Newark on Saturday night as he admitted to struggling with his massive fame.
Since signing with the UFC in 2013, McGregor has been on a rocket to superstardom that has not been hindered by any amount of issues in or out of the octagon. Multiple lost fights, years of inactivity, public meltdowns and even well-documented legal issues have done nothing to slow the rise of his star.
Now, as co-owner of BKFC alongside David Feldman, he has taken on the promotional game where he is helping to build fighters of his own. And on Saturday night, he explained how a prime mix of promotional power and the damage that comes with fighting can ‘break’ someone – even ‘The Notorious’.
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Conor McGregor claims massive fame has left him ‘broken’
Most of the time when Conor McGregor sits with media after a BKFC event, it can be hard to sit through the barrage of farcical questions and his outlandish answers. But he dropped a gem on Saturday as he got real with the press following a massive event at the Prudential Center.
“Listen, yes I’ve just come on board as a promoter and owner of the bare-knuckle, for what a year or so, but I’m doing it a long, long time,” McGregor began. “I came up through the school of the Fertitta empire and with Dana White at the helm and I was the protégé.
“I’ll tell you this and this is why we must really, really, really put our maximum respect and support behind our combatants in here because to fight as well as promote is the real deal. To promote on its own is easy and also coincidentally, to fight on its own is easy. People don’t really realize that.
“You get these fighters, they come up and no one cares about you. You’re rocking under the radar, no one asks you a question, you get to show up and have fun and do your thing and there’s no stress of the outside world and it’s perfect.
“Then when you rise, you’ve got to add this promotional element to it and both of them combined is incredibly draining. I wouldn’t be the first to tell you it almost broke me.
“And to be honest, maybe it did break me. As I went on and achieved massive success and global, otherworldly superstardom. It overcame me at times. To promote and fight at a high level deserves support and respect and that is what I’m here for.
“To ensure that is what happens. To promote on its own, it’s absolutely amazing. I put on a nice suit. I put on a nice watch. It’s what I love to do. But don’t get me wrong, I miss the fight game, and I’m excited about what’s ahead.”