Conor McGregor has explained why he will always stop a sign autographs even for people looking to sell them for profit.
Despite his behaviour outside of the octagon, McGregor remains one of the most popular fighters ever to compete in the UFC.
During his tenure in the UFC, the Irishman became the first fighter in the organisation's history to hold two championship belts simultaneously (featherweight and lightweight) after defeating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.
In the height of his career, McGregor's autograph was perhaps one of the most sought after, not just in the UFC, but across all sports.
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And the former champion once explained why he will always stop and sign items, even for those who aren't true fans and instead plan to sell them online.
Back in January 2015, McGregor faced Dennis Silver in what was only his fifth fight in the UFC in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ahead of the bout, the Irish fighter was filmed as part of the UFC's popular embedded series, giving a behind-the-scenes look into build-up to the fight.
In the first episode of the series, McGregor was shown handing out signatures as he left his hotel, despite knowing that they would be later sold on ebay.
"Make that money off eBay,” he encouraged the group of men waiting for him to leave the hotel.
After finding out that each signature would make them around $50 (£37.44) McGregor then joked with one of the men, rhyming off multiples of 50 as he signed picture after picture.
After one of his team members called the exchange bizarre, McGregor explained: “Well, it is. But then you collect the money, and then it’s not so bizarre.
“If they go to the hassle of standing outside in the cold, getting the pictures printed, showing up, you know what I mean?” he added.
“At the end of the day, they’re supporting the event… They’re fans of the show because they understand pictures,
“Let them make a few quid… They’re trying to make money so they can buy the pay-per-views. So they can buy the merchandise, so they can print them pictures. So, sign them motherf***ing pictures.”
Back in 2015, the desire for McGregor's signature was huge, allowing those selling signed items to make a massive profit.
However, the 37-year-old's recent actions mean that the demand for such items is likely drastically lower as McGregor is now known as a disgraced fighter after he was found liable of assaulting Nikita Hand in a Dublin civil court case.
Hand had accused the UFC fighter of raping her at a hotel in the Irish capital after a Christmas night out in December 2018.
McGregor denied all the allegations against him but was ordered to pay Hand more than €248,000 (£206,000) in damages.
Topics: Conor McGregor, UFC, MMA
Ben McCrum