The video above does most of the talking about this point for me, but in case you’ve missed it: Conor McGregor was seen punching a man in Ibiza, Spain at a nightclub in what appears to be an unprovoked attack. It’s not clear what, if any, law enforcement component there is to this incident. That’s important to note for a couple of reasons, not least of which is that this isn’t even McGregor’s first (alleged) assault incident in Ibiza.
There are many conclusions to draw from this latest episode, including that a return to the Octagon for McGregor seems as far away as it ever has. But I’m also at the point where I don’t even want to see him return. From all the available evidence, he appears to be a truly odious creature. While it’s unrealistic to expect prizefighters to be Boy Scouts, McGregor seemingly can’t even act in a law-abiding way, much less an exemplary one fit for emulation or praise.
Perhaps most importantly, though, is that moments like this serve to remind us McGregor is a mirror. Through his rise and fall, you can better understand the present state of mixed martial arts (MMA). His peak popularity coincides with the sport’s. His decline in popularity matches it as well. His right-wing political turn lines up as does he descent into sometimes very serious law enforcement run-ins, something now far more common among UFC fighters than it once was.
There are good things happening within and around the sport. It’s not as if the entirety of MMA can be understood through the McGregor lens. But there is a certain kind of unvarnished truth it proffers, something press releases and corporate media can’t fully express. If you want to better understand the sport, observing what’s happened to McGregor is dispirting, but a helpful place to start.
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