Conor McGregor's First UFC Opponent Now Lives Completely Different Life
Conor McGregor’s first-ever opponent in the UFC now lives a totally different life over 12 years on from his fight against the Irishman.
McGregor, 37, is still arguably the most spoken about UFC fighter on the planet despite not having fought since he lost to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Since then, the martial artist, who was previously a two-weight UFC champion, has encountered several issues outside the octagon, as well as seeing his proposed fight against Michael Chandler being cancelled in June 2024 after the 37-year-old picked up a foot injury.
In November of the same year, McGregor was found liable for the assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel six years ago after a lengthy civil court case in the Republic of Ireland.
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Hand was awarded €248,000 (£206,000) in damages. McGregor lost his civil jury appeal.
Earlier this year, McGregor was also involved in an incident in an Ibiza nightclub with footage appearing to show him punching a fellow clubgoer.
Fast forward to October 2025, and McGregor was in the news for the wrong reasons once more, this time after accepting an 18-month ban for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy.
The 37-year-old accepted a period of ineligibility for a violation of the organisation's anti-doping protocol, with Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) taking into account his cooperation.
McGregor missed three tests – on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024 – with each classified as a ‘Whereabouts Failures’ by the CSAD under the UFC ADP.
As a result, the CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction to 18 months. McGregor’s ban came into effect on September 20 and will conclude on March 20, 2026, meaning he could still fight on the highly anticipated UFC White House card on June 14 2026 – the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump.
McGregor currently boasts an MMA record of 22-6-0, with his first UFC bout coming against Marcus Brimage in 2013.
A then-24-year-old McGregor won the bout by first-round knockout, having impressed by winning the Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship in his previous fight before signing with the UFC.
Almost 13 years on, it’s fair to say McGregor is living a totally different life to what he was then, with the Irishman boasting vast wealth which he has accrued via various business ventures and his career in the octagon.
Meanwhile, Brimage, now 40, has also enjoyed a change in career after leaving the UFC in 2015.
The Colorado Springs fighter retired in 2021 with a record of 7-8-0 and has since pursued several careers, according to his LinkedIn profile.
According to his profile, he is now a personal trainer who is first aid certified.
His work experience includes working as a juvenile probation officer for the Department of Juvenile Justice between November 2017 and 2018, as well as working as Head Athletic Trainer at the UFC in Florida.
Brimage also works as a security professional for Brosnan Risk Consultants, who provide luxury security.
And to add to his many talents, he also became a yoga instructor in 2019.
Topics: Conor McGregor, UFC, MMA, Michael Chandler, Donald Trump
Luke Davies