“My dream is to be World Lightweight Champion in the UFC… have more money than I know what to do with,” said an aspiring Conor McGregor as he gradually climbed the ladder of success. The Dubliner became one of, if not the most recognized stars in the promotion—so much so that, at one point, he was synonymous with the sport itself. From his iconic 13-second knockout of José Aldo to the clinical finish of Eddie Alvarez, ‘Mystic Mac’ has crafted a legacy few can match. But is it true that he’s a five-time world champion, as he boldly claims? Well, fans have taken it upon themselves to investigate.

Conor McGregor is a highly active individual on social media. The former two-division champion uses Instagram and X as marketing tools to promote his ventures. Even his bio reflects this strategy. However, there’s something in his bio that has intrigued the fans. He claims to be a five-time world champion, but how is that possible if he has never defended any of his titles? The fighter on Instagram and X handle brandishes, “5 time World Champion. Pray EVERYDAY!!.” As his bios give us a new perspective, the fans took to Reddit to uncover the truth. But before we go through their findings, let’s have a closer look at those claims ourselves.

Conor McGregor has not stepped inside the Octagon since his defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021. He currently holds a professional record of 22 wins and 6 losses. Before joining the UFC, ‘The Notorious’ was a big name under the Cage Warriors promotion. In his Cage Warriors days, Conor McGregor held two belts at the same time. The young Irish lad won his first belt back on June 2, 2012, when he finished Dave Hill in a second-round submission to claim the featherweight title.

Later that same year, Conor McGregor fast-forwarded to fight for the lightweight CWFC belt against Ivan Buchinger on December 31st. ‘Mystic Mac’ knocked out Buchinger in the first round to secure the CWFC Lightweight title, becoming the first fighter in Cage Warriors history to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. After his Cage Warrior endeavor, the Dubliner moved to the UFC as he impressed Dana White in a dinner meeting.

His UFC journey was nothing short of successful. ‘The Notorious’ defeated Chad Mendes to claim the interim UFC featherweight title, and then, on the day of the ultimate battle against José Aldo, he made his mark at UFC 194. McGregor knocked out the Brazilian hotshot to shock the entire world. Why? Well, that’s because ‘Mystic Mac’ defeated a man who had been undefeated for over a decade, and was in his prime and all it took him was 13 seconds. After claiming the featherweight title, McGregor focused on the lightweight title.

The Dubliner had his back-and-forth against Nate Diaz, going 1-1, before the UFC granted him the title fight against the then-champion Eddie Alvarez. Conor McGregor was laser-focused on the title, knowing exactly what he had to do. It took him just two rounds in the UFC 205 main event to become the lightweight champion, holding both belts simultaneously for the first time in UFC history. If we were to add all of his belts, then we could say that he is the 5-time world champion, however, the fans would beg to differ.

Fans debate Conor McGregor being a “5 time World Champion”

Starting off, a Redditor explained that Conor McGregor is certainly the 5-time world champion if we take all of his belts into consideration: “Cage warrior FW and LW, UFC Interim FW UFC Undisputed FW and LW.” Another fan doubled down 0f the five belts claim saying, “He won 2 belts in cage warriors. 3 in the UFC if you count the interim belt.” Simple math, right? Wrong!

One fan appeared frustrated about the fact that Conor McGregor has been inactive for four years now and still grabs headlines: “it’s crazy how McGregor still gets a post about him every day even after not fighting for like 2 or 3 years.” However, what if we tell you this was his plan all along? In one of his interviews, the former dual-weight champion expressed, “I will never stay there longer than I should. I’m a smart man — I’m smarter than I look. I will not stay in the fight; it’s a dangerous business. I’m in there to get all the money, all the belts — and then I’m gone.”

Plus, when he received his BJJ black belt in 2o23, he reminded the world of a promise from ten years ago. “I just want two gold belts, a jiu-jitsu blackbelt, a hall of fame plaque and 25 million in the bank. Is that too much to ask? Gym time!!” – he wrote in a tweet in 2013. The only thing that remains to happen is his UFC Hall of Fame, which should come sooner rather than later, considering his contributions to popularizing the UFC and MMA.

Another fan used the opportunity and called out the Irishman in a sarcastic manner exposing his past controversies: “The old man in the pub, the dj, the old woman in the yacht, the fan’s phone he smashed and the mascot he sent to the ER, 5 times Conor McGregor won and defended his belt as the ultimate co-e head.”

Then came the inevitable title defense argument: “And he didn’t even attempt to defend a single one of them.” Conor McGregor never defended his belts under the UFC banner or the Cage Warriors banner. He was in fact stripped of both of his titles in the UFC over inactivity and the UFC 223 media day controversy.

Last but not least, a fan forced reality on McGregor’s fans, “Cage warriors doesn’t count as a “world title”. All you Conor glazers saying otherwise is hilarious. Does every cage warriors champ who hasn’t worn a ufc title get to call themselves “world champs” lol.”

So, what are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s claims to be the 5-times world champion? Should the Cage Warriors title be considered on the list of ‘world titles’? State your opinion in the comments below.