When you give Conor McGregor a microphone anything can happen.

Whether it’s a press conference or a post-fight interview, McGregor talks for a reaction and he always gets one. He disparages other fighters – sometimes even whole sports – and never fails to flaunt his opulent wealth or his grand position within MMA, a lofty stature no other fighter has came close to.

One of the greatest talkers sport has seen since Muhammad Ali, McGregor is a brilliant salesman and has talked himself into fight after fight. Even more impressive is that he’s backed those words up with his skill inside the Octagon.

These are Conor McGregor’s most memorable moments on the microphone.

1. “If you’re asking would I like to fight Floyd Mayweather — I mean, who would not like to dance around the ring for $180 million?”

With rumours circling about a fight between the two athletes, the MMA superstar did nothing quell the talk, instead he frothed at the mouth of the idea of a record pay day.

2. “My knee popped, but fuck it, it is what it is. I just went with what was comfortable, and what was comfortable was getting the motherfucker to the ground. Looking back, I should have just pulled my knee from my leg and hit him with it.”

Following a dominant unanimous decision win over now UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway, McGregor was harsh on his performance and frustrated at the injury he picked up but left us a great McGregorism to remember.

3. “The only weight I give a fuck about is the weight of the cheques and my cheques are super-heavyweight.”

With much being made over the natural weight difference between McGregor and Nate Diaz, the Irishman dismissed it as a factor whilst also managing to brag about the size of the purses he was taking home.

4. “There’s two things I really like to do and that’s whoop ass and look good. I’m doing one of them right now and on Saturday night, I’m doing the other.”

Ahead of his bout with then fellow prospect Max Holloway, McGregor was stirring up a media storm, offering the journalists present quotable after quotable. This one also could have come straight out of the mouth of Floyd Mayweather.

5. “These custom-made suits aren’t cheap. This solid gold pocket watch, three people died making this watch. I need to put people away. I need those big fights. I’m going to end up in debt pretty fast.”

Displaying some rare vulnerability in his admission that he needs the money, McGregor also exhibited the desire and force of will that has made him the biggest star MMA has ever seen.

6. “I didn’t have money before this. I was collecting 188 Euro a week off the social welfare. And now here I am, with like 60 G’s bonus and then my own pay. I don’t know what the F’s going on, to be honest.”

It’s been quite a journey for Conor McGregor and amongst all the bravado it was quite touching to see him recognise his rise out of poverty to fighting on the big stage.

7. “We’re not just here to take part — we’re here to take over.”

After a blistering one round victory over Diego Brandao, McGregor was happy to bask in his glory in front of a sell-out crowd of raucous Irishmen and set the MMA world on notice.

8. “It’s tradition. I remove a head, I bring it backstage, I place it on Mr. Fertitta and Mr. White’s desk. Here you go boss. Another one done. And then we discuss big business.”

After tearing through yet another opponent in Dennis Siver, McGregor was keen to emphasise the easiness of his victory whilst setting himself up for the next and even bigger one.

9. “It’s a tough pill to swallow but we can either run from adversity or we can face our adversity head on and conquer it. And that’s what I plan to do.”

Humility is not really Conor McGregor’s game but immediately following his devastating loss to Nate Diaz, he showed a great deal of it and had some wondering if the brash and arrogant Irishman was going to change his ways. They were wrong.

10. “I run this whole thing. I run New York. I run this whole ship. Without me none of this happens. I run this whole shit. Everyone in this game does what they’re fucking told except for me and rightly fucking so. If I say you’re on the prelims, you’re on the fucking prelims, If I say main event, it’s the fucking main event.”

Numerous UFC fighters had publicly complained about the supposed special treatment McGregor was getting from Dana White and the two time champ felt the need to snap back, making everyone aware of his lofty status within the MMA world.

11. “I’m going to toy with this man. I will rearrange his facial structure. His wife and kids won’t recognize him again. His friends will know he’s not the same after this contest. You’re never, ever going to be the same. Your kids are going to beg ‘daddy, please don’t go again!”

McGregor verbally tortured Eddie Alvarez in the run up to their UFC Lightweight Championship clash last November. This detailed and cruel insult was just about the pick of the bunch and understandably got under the then champion’s skin.

12. “Me and Jesus are cool. I’m cool with all the gods. Gods recognize gods.”

After McGregor made some comment deemed disrespectful to Christianity, devout Christian and former champion Rafael dos Anjos threatened to do something about only for the Irishman to somewhat backtrack with a killer line that made us forget what the argument was about anyway.

13. “I fear no man. If you breathe oxygen, I do not fear you.”

Always keen to celebrate his own fearlessness, it has been this genuine attitude that has helped him become one of the best fighters in the world today.

14. “I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster, I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, I’d like to take this chance to apologise…to absolutely nobody!”

McGregor was in fine form in his UFC 205 post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. By his own admission, he was taking shots at just about everybody and just for the sheer fun of it, he decided to take just one more.

15. “They’re messed up pussiess, if you ask me. Fair play to Brock [Lesnar], he got in and fought, but at the end of the day he was juiced up to the fucking eye balls, so how can I respect that?”

With his charisma and ability on the microphone, many thought Conor McGregor would be a natural fit in the WWE. Only Conor McGregor didn’t share that opinion and decided to offend every wrestler in the business for good measure. Internet outrage ensued and still everyone was talking about the UFC champion.

16. “I said football stadiums. I said world titles. This is what I said and this is what is happening. It’s a beautiful thing when you have the ability to predict the future, and that is what I feel I have.”

Highlighting the goals he has achieved and the goals he wishes to achieve, McGregor has not kept secret his wish for a big stadium fight at Croke Park which could be a logical step after the Mayweather bout.

17. “If one of us goes to war, we all go to war.”

Conor is extremely tight with the rest of his team at Straight Blast Gym and fresh off a career best win over Dustin Poirier, McGregor was in a bloodthirsty mood and appeared ready for another fight just minutes after his last one had finished.

18. “Timing beats speed. Precision beats power.”

McGregor explained his 11-second victory over Jose Aldo with a short quote that explained his fight philosophy.

19. “You’re damn right I’m in it to make money. This is prize fighting, I’m in it to get rich; fast. And then I’m in it to get out.”

It’s an unwritten rule that fighters don’t talk about fighting for money over prestige but Conor McGregor is a natural born rule breaker and expressed a similar philosophy to that of his opponent on August 26th.

20. “The only approach I changed is I dug the grave a little bit wider. A little bit longer for Nate’s skinny, fat, long body.”

McGregor tried his hardest to get under Nate Diaz’s skin but even this graphic line about literally burying his opponent couldn’t unsettle his equally mouthy adversary.

21. “Who the fuck is dat guy?”

In just six simple words, Conor McGregor ruined poor Jeremy Stephens forever. Never interrupt the champ.

22. “I can make you rich. I’ll change your bum life. You fight me, it’s a celebration. When you sign to fight me, it’s a celebration. You ring back home, you ring your wife, ‘Baby, we’ve done it. We’re rich baby. Conor McGregor made us rich. Break out the red panties.'”

Outlining what can be gained by a fight with the notorious one, McGregor loves bragging about he is the biggest draw in MMA and basically getting to name the terms to all of his fights whilst belittling everyone else.

23. “I lost my mind in this game like Vincent van Gogh. He dedicated his life to his craft and lost his mind in the process. That’s happening to me. But, fuck it. When that gold belt is around my waist, when my mother has a big mansion, when my girlfriend has a different car for every day of the week, when my kids’ kids have everything they ever want, then it will pay.”

Outlining his motivation for fighting, it was a rare chance to see McGregor’s more human side and what he wants to accomplish by fighting. It was also an insight into an incredibly ambitious and driven human being.

24. “He should’ve killed me when he had the chance.”

Referencing his upset loss to Nate Diaz, McGregor vowed to come back stronger and told Diaz in no uncertain terms that he was going to regret not putting him away for good.

25. “Surprise, surprise, motherfuckers! The king is back!”

Gaining revenge over Nate Diaz was the most important thing in the world to Conor McGregor and he couldn’t hide his delight after sneaking a decision victory over him in the rematch.

@sammoore2