Conor McGregor's 10 greatest combat sports moments

Conor McGregor has demonstrated a penchant for delivering big moments bursting with fireworks ever since he made his splashy UFC debut back in April 2013.

Whether it's destroying Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to be crowned a double champion, or simply securing the mega bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr., it's almost as if McGregor doesn't know how to do something that doesn't captivate millions of fight fans.

With McGregor prepared to face Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, DAZN News wanted to look back on the 10 greatest moments that the "Notorious" one has given us over the years in the wonderful realm of combat sports.

Will Saturday night mark yet another great moment and serve as a springboard for a memorable 2020? McGregor is likely counting on it to bank a few more sensational moments in what has been one hell of an MMA ride.

First Champ-Champ reign, Dec. 31, 2012

Conor McGregor will always hold his place in UFC history for being the company's first fighter ever to reign as a double champion. However, well before he accomplished the feat in the UFC, McGregor did it with Cage Warriors. Having its featherweight championship in tow, McGregor added the Cage Warriors lightweight strap his very next bout with a first-round knockout of Ivan Buchinger. He'd use the win to propel himself into the UFC ... and the rest is history.

UFC debut, April 6, 2013

McGregor turned pro in March 2008, but he didn't hit the UFC until a full five years later in April 2013. That's when he made his debut for the company a quick one with his TKO (punches) of Marcus Brimage just 67 seconds into the first round. Kenny Florian shouted aptly on the broadcast, “This is why everyone is talking about Conor McGregor!” And that would merely serve as the launching pad for the global MMA sensation that McGregor has become today.

McGregor bests Max Holloway in foreshadowing fight, Aug. 17, 2013

When the Irish fighter stepped into the octagon with Max Holloway, he was just 25-years-old and "Blessed" only 21. Their bout was rather unassuming, as it was buried on the preliminary card of a UFC Fight Night headlined by Chael Sonnen and Mauricio Rua at the TD Garden in Boston. But little did fans know at the time — or perhaps they did — that they were witnessing two world champions of the future. The bout was action-packed with fireworks, but McGregor would pull out the unanimous decision, helping to pave the way for an eventual mutual respect between the two.

First UFC main event in just third bout with the company, July 19, 2014

It only took McGregor's win over Brimage and edging of Holloway for the UFC to thrust him into main event-headlining status. His first UFC main event would come against Brazilian, Diego Brandão, and oh boy was it sweet. Fighting in front of his hometown fans in Dublin, Ireland at UFC Fight Night, McGregor leveled Brandão with a huge left hand to earn a first-round TKO. After delivering the "Performance of the Night," McGregor flashed some of that polarizing charisma and showmanship by declaring during his post-fight interview, "There's not a man alive who could come on this soil and beat me."

Eviscerating Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas debut, Sept. 27, 2014

Just like the early fight against Holloway, McGregor vs. Poirier served as an early taste between two eventual world champions. Once again, McGregor proved to be superior to his peer, rocking the Lafayette, Louisiana native with punches for a first-round TKO. McGregor once again also waxed poetically on the mic, saying, "I don't just knock them out, I pick the round."

With a sea of Irish flags waving, he also boasted, "If one of us goes to war, we all go to war." His second straight "Performance of the Night" also marked his debut in Las Vegas, the "Sin City" that he'd get even more familiar with as time went on.

Getting first taste of championship gold, July 11, 2015

McGregor had already did promotion for his fight against UFC world featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 189. "Notorious" even memorably snatched Aldo's title out of his hands at the wildly-entertaining press conference, which made the bout overflow with hype. However, that buildup was dashed in a heartbeat when the Brazilian fighter pulled out of the fight with a rib injury. McGregor could have opted to bow out of the main event himself, but chose to fight Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight world title, instead. 

There, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor pummeled Mendes with punches toward a second-round TKO and his first taste of championship gold — albeit interim championship gold. Still, a night to remember in "Notorious" lore.

Destroying Jose Aldo for featherweight championship, Dec. 12, 2015

The very first punch he threw was essentially all the offense McGregor needed to sleep Aldo in his sensational first-round KO at UFC 194 in Las Vegas. The 13-second blitz took place when Aldo swung and missed on a left hook and McGregor draped a short, but stiff left hand across the Brazilian's jaw, dropping him in a heap face first. He added two hammerfists for good measure to make sure the world featherweight title was his in devastating fashion. To this day, the knockout remains one of the best KOs the UFC has ever witnessed.

Avenging loss to Nate Diaz, Aug. 20, 2016

McGregor's rolling thunder of a train was brought to a screeching halt March 5, 2016, when a scrappy Nate Diaz trapped him in a rear-naked choke and forced the Irish fighter to tap out for a second-round submission. After taking his first loss in the UFC, McGregor could have looked elsewhere for his next challenge. But the ever-game "Notorious" demanded to run it back at the same scene in Las Vegas for the rematch five months later.

That main event of UFC 202 had McGregor owning the upper hand in a give-and-take war with Diaz. The bout had McGregor battering Diaz to a bloody pulp enough to get a razor-thin majority decision nod by the scores of 48–47, 47–47 and 48–47. The fight also proved McGregor's mettle in bouncing back. Great McGregor moment, indeed.

McGregor rocks Eddie Alvarez for double champ reign, Nov. 12, 2016

After yet another highly-entertaining press conference, McGregor sauntered into the octagon at UFC 205 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City and marched out as the first double champion in UFC history. Still the featherweight titleholder, McGregor added the world lightweight strap to his mantle after a scintillating left hook-right hook, left-right combo that dropped Alvarez with a thud. As McGregor pounced on Alvarez with more punches, the referee stepped in to save the Philadelphia fighter from absorbing anymore punishment.

Just like that, behind the second-round TKO (punches), McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold two world titles simultaneously. 

Conor McGregor secures super fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Aug. 26, 2017

It almost doesn't matter that McGregor lost to Mayweather via 10th-round TKO. Just the fact that McGregor secured the mega bout — and the reported $100 million bag that went with it — catapulted his star power, and definitely tax bracket, into a different stratosphere. Combat sports would never, ever be the same.