Conor McGregor has insisted his career won’t head down the same path as Mike Tyson’s, despite having a troublesome couple of years.
McGregor has had a number of legal issues over the past two years, and hasn’t won a fight since he beat Eddie Alvarez back in 2016.
The Irishman will face Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone on January 18 as he looks to get his career back on track.
Number of Issues
‘Notorious’’ behaviour and his absence from the UFC has caused some people to draw comparisons with the demise of legendary boxer Mike Tyson’s career.
In 1992, Tyson was convicted of raping 18-year-old beauty queen Desiree Washington.
‘Iron Mike’ spent three years in jail, which sparked the rapid descent of the heavy hitter’s career.
And McGregor’s antics away from the Octagon had caused concerns his career may be headed in the same direction.
In 2019 it was reported he was the subject of two investigations for sexual assault in his home country. He’s denied the allegations.
The year also saw McGregor plead guilty to assault after footage showed him punching a man in an Irish pub, reportedly for refusing a drink from the former champion.
He was then caught on camera smashing up a man’s phone for trying to take a photo in Miami.
‘I Know What I Need To Do’
The Dubliner is now looking to turn things around, and has announced a three-fight plan for 2020.
He’s also made drastic changes to his lifestyle and training and is reportedly in the best physical condition of his career.
And the 31-year-old said while he may have been headed down a similar path to the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, he’s confident he can put his troubled past behind him.
Speaking to Severe MMA, McGregor said: “Now here’s the thing,
“Yeah, definitely Mike Tyson has had his ups and his downs, and his money management has kind of led him to be in a position he shouldn’t have really been in.”
“But if you look at Mike now, he’s got his money, he’s got his weed thing going, he’s well for himself.”
“But, yeah, I don’t want to go down that path,”
“I didn’t want to go down that path, and maybe I was heading down that path a little bit,
“So just listening to myself, listening to the close people around me that I respect, and just making amends with things.”
“I know what I need to do.”
“I knew what I needed to do and what I shouldn’t have been doing.”
“I just listened to myself and followed my orders, and it’s just made me a better individual, just a better man.”
“I’m just in a much better place.”
‘On This Journey Together’
Another concern raised has been whether McGregor’s camp has been adequate in protecting him from the trouble that came with his meteoric rise.
Notorious lost his way following his blockbuster exhibition boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather, which saw him make a reported 85 million dollars.
When asked about the concerns surrounding his camp, McGregor fiercely defended his team: “Oh, that’s baloney,”
“I hear the way people try to twist the narrative.”
“Like I said, those narratives that people try and spread have been irritating me, and that’s the kind of thing that causes me to react, and I get angry.”
“The disrespect … it’s meaningless. These people do not know what they’re talking about.”
“Like, how dare they say the people in my camp are ‘yes’ men?”
“The people in my camp are actually masters, tacticians, master tacticians, across all ranges.”
“Leaders among men are in my camp.”
“It’s all baloney, so I just stopped paying attention to all that, and it’s just like – trust me when I tell you I do not have ‘yes’ men.”
“We’re all on this journey together.”
Looking Ahead
McGregor has named Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje as two likely opponents in 2020.
There’s also speculation of a fight with ‘BMF’ titleholder Jorge Masvidal.
And Notorious recently confirmed talks with Manny Pacquiao about a potential boxing match.
It looks as though the Irish superstar is through his darkest days.
And it will become more clear when he meets Cerrone at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Conor McGregor)