Conor McGregor burst onto the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) scene on April 6, 2013, with an impressive Octagon debut against Marcus Brimage, knocking him out in the first round at UFC on Fuel TV 9 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The electric performance marked his ninth consecutive mixed martial arts (MMA) win, validating the hype behind the former Cage Warriors Lightweight champion straight out of the gate.
That's just the tip of an explosive volcano, according to the scrappy Irishman, who is pumped to take on Max Holloway -- Andy Ogle's late replacement -- at UFC Fight Night 26 from TD Garden in Boston, Mass., next weekend (Sat., Aug. 17, 2013).
And if you think a change in opponent is an issue for "Notorious," think again. McGregor's primary goal each time out is to steal the show -- much like he did with his "Knockout of the Night" over Brimage -- regardless of who is standing across the cage from him.
He broke it down on his recent appearance on "The MMA Hour:"
"The opponent does not come into the equation. This is my spot. The Irish are coming home era. Coming to Boston. The Irishmen are coming home to their native land, Boston, United States. The opponent does not come into the equation. I am the main event. If you stick me in the main event, I'm going to steal the show every time."
After a night out in Las Vegas, Nevada, with UFC President Dana White, which included a cruise down the infamous Las Vegas Strip in a Ferrari, McGregor took the opportunity to inform his new boss that he wouldn't make the same mistakes as other "schmucks" in the past.
In other words, McGregor is determined to never become comfortable and/or complacent, which leads to laziness and sloppiness.
He explains:
"I don't get comfortable, I don't get complacent. I went out for dinner with the Don (Dana White), we went out for a meal, and I was saying to him, just because we're here now and going for meals and shit, don't think I'm going to be getting comfortable, don't think I'm going to do what a lot of these schmucks have done. They got lazy, they got sloppy and sluggish. Come fight time they show up and they're out of shape, their shots are off. Me, I don't get complacent, if anything, these kinds of things, and all this going on spoils me to work harder. I use this as motivation."
He can't afford to get comfortable against another determined 145-pound talent such as Holloway, who looks to get back in the win column after having his three-fight win streak snapped by Dennis Bermudez at UFC 160.
But, as far as McGregor is concerned, there's nothing that anyone, including Max -- whom he refused to acknowledge during the interview -- can do from stopping the Irish Invasion that is making its way to UFC.
Is "Notorious" getting a bit ahead of himself or is his bold confidence refreshing ... or both?