MCGREGOR LOOKS BACK ON TWO-BELT CAREER AS FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN

Conor McGregor, the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions at the same time, has taken to social media to reflect on his historic career and the principles that carried him to the summit of mixed martial arts (MMA). The ascent began with a first-round technical knockout of Marcus Brimage in 2013, launching an unbeaten featherweight run that peaked at UFC 194, where he knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to seize the title. A second-round victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 then added the lightweight belt and cemented the Irishman as the organisation's biggest star.

Then the momentum shifted. Defeat by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, a bout that drew a record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, signalled a decline inside the Octagon. A win over Donald Cerrone proved his only victory since, and a loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329, brought about by a serious knee injury, has left his future shrouded in doubt. Yet the Irishman stands by the principles that made him. "I was saying this back in 2014. Two years later, I held both belts. There was no perfect run to that night. If you've taken a knock, look at it straight. Keep what worked. Change what didn't. Go again. Back yourself," McGregor wrote. He remains the highest-earning fighter in the history of the sport.