Conor McGregor has not fought in the UFC since 2021, but UFC president Dana White knew the Irishman would be one of the sport's biggest stars after their very first dinner meeting

Conor McGregor may not have stepped into the Octagon since 2021, but Dana White immediately recognised that the Irishman was destined to become one of the sport's biggest stars.

The 37-year-old would go on to become the first UFC fighter to hold two weight titles at the same time. After his stunning 13-second knockout of legendary featherweight champion Jose Aldo, McGregor went on to stop Eddie Alvarez less than a year later to claim the lightweight belt in 2016.

This achievement mirrored an earlier accomplishment in his career, when he held two belts simultaneously during his stint with Cage Warriors. In the wake of McGregor's signing, UFC CEO and president White was met with a groundswell of support from fans urging the organisation to bring in the fighter, and he needed little convincing that 'Notorious' could emerge as one of the promotion's flagship athletes.

"I went to dinner when we first signed him, he flew out here to Vegas, and he and I went to dinner," White told Bro Bible in 2021. "It was my first real interaction with him.

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"When I left that dinner, I called my partner Lorenzo [Fertitta] and said, 'Let me tell you what, I don't know if this kid can fight or not. But if he can even throw a punch, he's going to be a massive superstar.' I knew it that night with him. His personality, the energy around this kid, I'd never met anybody like him. The closest thing to it was Ronda Rousey."

McGregor's ascent through the UFC's featherweight division proved captivating. Between his debut victory in April 2013 and claiming the belt against Aldo in December 2015, he secured six of his opening seven UFC bouts via TKO or KO.

A pair of encounters with Nate Diaz, which saw him jump up two weight divisions, allowed McGregor to boost his profile further before a dominant display in his lightweight championship triumph over Alvarez. A crossover boxing match with Floyd Mayweather came next and seized worldwide attention, though it also marked the beginning of McGregor's absence from the UFC octagon.

McGregor made his MMA comeback for his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 in a contest that was overshadowed by controversy both before and afterwards. The former dual-weight champion hasn't competed since suffering a broken leg in a second consecutive loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

The 'Notorious' was due to make a stunning return to competition two years ago against former Bellator world champion Michael Chandler, but was forced to pull out of the highly-anticipated showdown after sustaining an injury in training.

Away from the octagon, McGregor was recently embroiled in a civil court case. In November, a Dublin court ruled McGregor had assaulted Nikita Hand, and the UFC fighter was ordered to pay more than £200,000 in damages.

Despite all the drama away from the cage, McGregor had a feeling he would always make a stunning UFC comeback. And, this evening, the 37-year-old will end a five-year hiatus when he takes on Max Holloway in a welterweight showdown - which is set to headline a stacked UFC 329 card in Las Vegas. It comes 13 years after their initial encounter in Boston - a fight the Irishman would go on to win on points.