Conor McGregor lands cover of Sports Illustrated, joins Huerta and Rousey
“Conor McGregor puts the fight in Fighting Irish . . . and the fear in the rest of the UFC”.
That’s what the headline reads on the front of Sports Illustrated magazine.
The all green theme, just a month before St. Patrick’s Day and one of the biggest fights of McGregor’s career at UFC 196, tells the tale of how an Irish fighter has become the biggest name in mixed martial arts, outside of Ronda Rousey.
McGregor joins only Rousey and Roger Huerta as the only UFC fighters to grace the Sports Illustrated magazine cover.
L. Jon Wertheim’s full magazine story on McGregor, which chronicles his rise to UFC stardom, will debut Wednesday morning on SI.com along with McGregor’s SI Films feature.
McGregor of course landed the shot heard round the world in December when he knocked out longtime former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds.
He fights Nate Diaz in a welterweight fight next month in what is expected to be one of the biggest fights in UFC history.
The cover of Sports Illustrated Magazine is usually reserved for top athletes in their sport. A McGregor nomination solidifies him as a top tier fighter in the eyes of the general public and media and symbolizes the sport of MMA moving towards mainstream recognition.
