Conor McGregor Announces He’s Coming for the UFC’s All-Time Knockout Record

The dust had barely settled on Matt Brown's record-tying win before McGregor declared he'd surpass the achievement.

Drew Beaupré | May 14, 2023

(Mike Black/Reuters)

Conor McGregor has his sights set on writing yet another chapter of UFC history after watching Matt Brown knock out Court McGee at UFC on ABC 4.

“The Immortal” met fellow The Ultimate Fighter winner and longtime UFC veteran McGee in a welterweight contest serving as the featured prelim for UFC on ABC 4. Brown entered the night after dropping a split decision in his last fight with Bryan Barberena, but the 42-year-old reminded fans he’s still one of the most violent fighters on the UFC roster when he floored McGee with a right hook late in the first round.

The thirteenth knockout win of Brown’s UFC career moved him into a tie with Derrick Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history, and that news immediately drew the attention of McGregor.

Matt Brown, at 42 years of age, now holds the joint highest KO’s inside the UFC with 13KO’s. Him and “The Beast” Lewis are tied. I hold 8 KO’s inside the UFC currently, at 34 years of age.
I’m getting this record.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 14, 2023

“Matt Brown, at 42 years of age, now holds the joint highest KO’s inside the UFC with 13KO’s. Him and ‘The Beast’ Lewis are tied. I hold 8 KO’s inside the UFC currently, at 34 years of age. I’m getting this record.”

“The Notorious” joined the UFC in 2013 with a first-round finish of Marcus Brimage, and he’s only made it to the scorecards twice across fourteen bouts in the promotion. Of the eight knockout wins the Irishman has scored in the UFC, five of those have come inside the first round.

If McGregor is serious about claiming the UFC’s knockout record before hanging up his gloves, he’ll need to keep a far more active schedule than the one he’s maintained during recent years. After competing at least twice a year through his first three years in the promotion, McGregor has only stepped into the Octagon four times since 2016 and is 1-3 overall during that period.

Fans are looking forward to watching the Irishman coach opposite Michael Chandler in the upcoming Season 31 of TUF, but so far there’s been no progress on actually booking a fight between the two men. Chael Sonnen recently pointed out that there’s still not even clarity on what weight class the proposed matchup would be contested at, and McGregor’s ongoing absence from the USADA testing pool also presents a massive road block to his return.

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Published May 14, 2023