Conor McGregor is no stranger to self-belief, and he clearly doesn't agree with being ranked 18th in a new list of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
That confidence was on full display throughout his climb to the top, where he became the first fighter to hold two belts at once in different weight classes.
Even as his career has shifted away from titles and toward the fringes of contention, that swagger has stuck around, showing up regularly in comments about other fighters or hypothetical matchups.
With that history, it's no surprise McGregor would back himself to be higher on any all-time list. But not everyone shares that view, including one media outlet that recently put him well outside the top 10.
The ranking didn't sit well with McGregor. He took aim at former middleweight champion Michael Bisping's place at number nine, suggesting it was a clear miss.
Bisping fired back quickly with a simple message on social media: "Stop crying and fight."
There were some surprising names above McGregor too. Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared just one spot ahead at 17th despite retiring unbeaten. Meanwhile, Georges St-Pierre topped the list after a storied run across two divisions.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
If you go by his early record alone – especially becoming the first simultaneous two-weight world champion – there's an argument for putting him among the very best ever.
But McGregor's story is also about what came after that peak. He hasn't won a fight since stopping Donald Cerrone in January 2020, and injuries have played a big part in keeping him out of action for long stretches since then.
McGregor etched his name into the history books in 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.
Even though he was the first to do that, there were no title defences added to it, and that's often cited as a reason why he may fall short of others in terms of legacy.
This is probably what led Complex to rank McGregor 18th in their recent list of the top 25 fighters in UFC history.
'The Notorious' came across his placement when Complex shared their list on social media and wasn't exactly thrilled by it…
The Irishman did come ahead of Max Holloway, who is reportedly being lined up as his opponent for a summer return. 'Blessed' appeared at No. 25 on the same list.
Elsewhere, Ronda Rousey was 24th, Israel Adesanya 20th, Ilia Topuria 16th, Jose Aldo 12th, Khabib Nurmagomedov third, and Jon Jones first overall.
Read more:
