Mixed martial arts might not ever be a full-fledged mainstream sport, but UFC superstar Conor McGregor is as mainstream as it gets and the Irishman was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People Thursday.
In total, there were six athletes included in the 2017 edition of the Time 100.
McGregor was the only athlete named in the “pioneers” category. Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James and five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady are regarded as “titans” on the list, while former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, four-time Olympic gold medallist gymnast Simone Biles, and Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar were listed as “icons.”
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There has never been a star in MMA quite like McGregor—not even Ronda Rousey, who was named to the Time 100 in 2016.
The 28-year-old is the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport’s history and became the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champion in 2016 when the then-featherweight champion knocked out Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight belt in the main event of UFC 205, the promotion’s debut at Madison Square Garden.
McGregor isn’t the only talented fighter in the UFC—most don’t even consider him the best—but no one can captivate audiences inside and outside the cage like the loquacious Dublin native.
“Conor is also the rare personality who has become bigger than his sport,” Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote. “That lean, compact body must struggle to keep his enormous character inside…His energy is absolutely contagious, to the point where you almost start shouting in an Irish accent after 30 seconds of hearing that world-famous mouth. Conor has a fire in his belly that can’t be quenched with championship belts. There are no brakes that can stop his engine.”
Conor McGregor on Twitter
Thank you @TIME magazine and @Schwarzenegger for including me in this years “TIME 100 Most influential people” list
McGregor is such an enormous star that he’s on the verge of landing a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., despite never having boxed professionally, that will net him a cool nine figures at the end of the day.
Conor McGregor on Twitter
I’m thankful for the cheese.
“Our annual list of the 100 Most Influential People explores the intersection of accomplishment and renown,” wrote Nancy Gibbs, managing editor of Time.