Conor McGregor gained the nickname “Notorious” for a reason. McGregor is one of UFC’s loudest trash talkers. Conor has also been involved in several sketchy incidents outside of the octagon and has been referred to as a “dirtbag.” The former UFC champ has been outspoken even as he recovers from a severe injury.

Many MMA stars have adopted the tactics of professional wrestlers to help promote their brand as a fighter. Some play up to adoring audiences as conquering heroes. Conor McGregor chose to go the heel route. Many believe that persona has bled into his real life, causing all kinds of problems.

Conor McGregor’s bodyguard, Mitchell Atkinson, recently talked about the infamous fighter on the Fisticuffs podcast. Atkinson says that outside of the world of UFC, Conor is a quiet, reserved person. Mitchell believes everything fans see on television is just an act to increase excitement about upcoming fights.

“What you see in the media isn’t necessarily how they are as a person. I always said, ‘Conor, he’s a great actor, do you know what I mean? The man… There’s no doubt about it, he’s an absolute genius but the Notorious MMA [persona] is very much a character who he plays a lot of the time.

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He’s a much quieter [person] and he’s, yeah, he’s very quiet and he’s got a personality like an artist where he kind of wears his heart on his sleeve…he’s a phenomenal actor and he’s a genius, you know, notorious MMA is a character who he plays that made him a billionaire within a matter of years.”

It remains up for debate whether Conor McGregor knows when to turn his character off and on. Conor has been involved in several real-life incidents with real-life consequences. We will see if he keeps his act together as he continues to train for an eventual comeback fight.

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Michael Perry

Michael Perry is a news contributor for Ringside News and Thirsty for News. Michael has an M.A. in Communication Technology from Point Park University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

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