5 Conor McGregor pre-UFC fights you need to watch
- Conor McGregor is one of the wildest fighters the UFC ever had
- But he had a whole career before the UFC many fans have never seen
- Here are five of the best pre-UFC fights starring McGregor
2. Conor McGregor vs. Dave Hill, first submission win and Cage Warriors featherweight title
The McGregor effect was quite obvious from this point on. Let alone this title fight taking place in Dublin, McGregor's ability to control the crowd and bring an intense energy was in full swing. He was yapping away as he touched gloves and, given his highlight reel up to this point, Hill wasted no time trying to get McGregor to the ground.
#OnThisDay 10 years ago, Conor McGregor won his first ever MMA title by 2nd round submission 🏆 [ Watch more Conor classics now on UFC Fight Pass 📺 ]
Posted by UFC on Thursday, June 2, 2022
This fight oozes McGregor energy. The faceoffs, the talking, and everything else leading up to the fight created plenty of hype for McGregor's first chance at the Cage Warriors featherweight strap.
The McGregor effect was quite obvious from this point on. Let alone this title fight taking place in Dublin, McGregor's ability to control the crowd and bring an intense energy was in full swing. He was yapping away as he touched gloves and, given his highlight reel up to this point, Hill wasted no time trying to get McGregor to the ground.
Right off the bat, McGregor shows his ability to get back to his feet. He was able to reverse the position and get back to striking range. With how difficult this was for him against elite fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, it's still impressive to see McGregor find ways to dominate on the ground.
Hill was relentless in keeping the fight in close range and on the ground. McGregor had no problem entertaining him. For the first round, they spent most of the time in the clinch and working transitions on the ground. McGregor's confidence was obvious, as he chose to stay in close range on the ground. Despite having opportunities to get to his feet, McGregor decided to show off his ground and pound.
As the round concluded, McGregor was starting to land in a big way. The left hand was finding a home quite easily and McGregor was completely dominating. The most impressive part of this round is seeing peak McGregor excel in almost every facet of the fight. He was close to locking in a rear-naked choke but Hill was saved by the bell.
McGregor picks up right where he left off in the first round and dominated the second round as well. With how successful he was in the first, the chance to land his first submission win while also winning the Cage Warriors featherweight title was hard to pass up. Within seconds of the round, McGregor was landing big and ended up in top mount quickly.
In true McGregor fashion, he was able to show off just how good he was by finishing a title fight via submission. Another impressive aspect of this fight is Hill wanted nothing to do with staying on the feet. He was likely considered the better grappler at the time but McGregor showed just how good he was en-route to his first submission victory and title win with a major promotion.
Watching McGregor win his first title and run into the Dublin crowd was the first sign of a superstar in the making. He would get the opportunity to solidify his European legacy soon after.
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