Conor McGregor makes his much-anticipated UFC comeback this weekend when he takes on Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The brash Irishman is coming off a near two-year lay-off in the octagon and is jumping in at the deep end, choosing to return against the man who succeeded him as lightweight champion.
Ahead of what has been billed as the biggest UFC fight of all-time, Press Association Sport looks at five of McGregor's standout victories within the organisation.
Max Holloway (TD Garden, Boston, August 2013)
A unanimous decision over a prospect who had seven wins and two losses does not appear to be remarkable at first glance, but Holloway has since gone on to establish himself among the company's finest fighters, with 12 successive wins taking him to the top of the featherweight pile. It was at the 145lb-limit where these two future stars faced off and McGregor, a little more than three months on from his UFC debut, was taken the distance for the first time in his 16th mixed martial arts contest. Victory was all the more impressive because he tore his anterior cruciate ligament at the halfway stage.
Chad Mendes (MGM Grand, Las Vegas, July 2015)
Conor McGregor vs Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title on July 11 LIVE on PPV!!! pic.twitter.com/egV7zvUoO9
— Dana White (@danawhite) July 1, 2015
McGregor had positioned himself into featherweight title contention with technical knockouts of Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver. But a bout against champion Jose Aldo was scotched due to the Brazilian's rib injury, leaving McGregor to take on late replacement and number one contender Mendes for the interim strap. A bruising encounter came to a head when a trademark one-two from McGregor floored Mendes, who was caught with several more blows before the referee stepped in with three seconds left in the second round.
Jose Aldo (MGM Grand, Las Vegas, December 2015)
#AndNew UFC featherweight champion of the world @TheNotoriousMMA #UFC194 pic.twitter.com/lKdVtMgsw4
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2015
The hype around McGregor was growing rapidly and hit new heights with this 13-second blowout of a champion who boasted a 10-year unbeaten streak that spanned 18 fights. A picture perfect left cross knocked out the Brazilian before he hit the floor to signal an emphatic conclusion to a rivalry that had been building for months. With this win, McGregor proved he could back up his bravado and the 1.2million pay-per-view buys was a UFC record for a non-heavyweight contest, proving the charismatic Dubliner was one of the company's most bankable attractions.
Nate Diaz (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, August 2016)
Five months on from a shock first defeat in the UFC, McGregor returned to Sin City and the welterweight limit – 25 pounds heavier than where he reigned at featherweight. McGregor, as he did in the first bout, started the rematch strongly and floored his rival three times inside the opening two rounds. The resilient Diaz, though, absorbed the punishment and took advantage of his opponent's fatigue to finish the fight on top, only to lose a majority decision. McGregor proclaimed "the king is back" after topping a bill that generated a UFC record 1.65m PPV buys.
Eddie Alvarez (Madison Square Garden, New York, November 2016)
Unsurprisingly, McGregor was the headliner as the UFC was staged in the Big Apple for the first time and he marked the occasion by joining all-time greats Randy Couture and BJ Penn in winning UFC titles across two weight classes, while he was the first to hold two belts at the same time. Alvarez, like many before him, was unable to handle the power of his foe and was knocked down three times in the opening round before being stopped three minutes into the second. McGregor therefore proved he was the man to beat at both featherweight and lightweight in what would prove to be his last UFC outing for almost two years.
