When Conor McGregor unified the UFC featherweight title, taking out arguably the best Pound for Pound fighter in the sport in just 13 seconds, comparisons were drawn with Muhammad Ali. “The Greatest” is of course the most influential athlete in history, and a symbol worldwide for liberation and resistance.
In 1964 he won the world heavyweight championship, and shortly after very publicly converted to Islam. Ali dropped the name he was born with, Clay, as it came from a slaveholder, and adopting the name by which we know him today. In 1967 Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war, and was stripped of his title. He did not return to the ring for over three years, stripping his athletic legacy of the peak years of his career. In time the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction for evading the draft.
Muhammad Ali fought for justice, for decades, inspiring generations. Conor McGregor describes his life as one of training and counting money. Thus some observers think the comparison between McGregor and Ali is wildly overblown, and inappropriate.
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal appeared recently on Tyron Woodley and Din Thomas’s memorably titled ‘Morning Wood with Deez Nuts’? podcast, and explained why McGregor is no Ali.
“I think it was a good performance,” said Lawall, as transcribed by David St. Martin for MMAFighting. “What he’s doing with his striking range, he’s confident, but one thing I don’t like is when people say he’s like Ali. How dare you all say he’s like Ali. He’s turning heads, he’s got Ireland behind him. White folks love Ireland and Italy, but Ali stood for something different, a whole different thing.”
“McGregor stands for himself and for his country, but Ali was greater than that. Ali gave us a voice. To me, it’s a slap in the face when people try to compare him to Ali. If you want to say he talks trash as ridiculous as Ali, cool, but that’s about it. As far as being as significant as Ali? Ali is the greatest and most influential athlete of all time.”
For the record, this not a racial thing, this is a factual thing. There was a backlash too when former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones discussed the comparisons, that came to the fore when the UFC recreated an iconic image of Ali underwater, with Jones as the subject.
It was reaching.
I definitely don’t consider myself Muhammad Ali, I thought Muhammad Ali had many flaws in the person that he was,” said Jones at the time, without so much as a hint of irony. “At the same time, I love Muhammad Ali.
I’m a huge fan, but I don’t strive to be Muhammad Ali. I strive to be the best Jonathan B. Jones that there ever was. I want to do things better than Muhammad Ali.
I never came out and was like, ‘Oh, I want to be Ali. Put me on the cover underwater.’ That was the UFC’s idea. That’s the people on the outside looking at me in a positive regard. I’m truly honored and I think it’s awesome.
With most young fighters, it will probably get to their head and they start to think, ‘Oh, I’m the man now. Look at this cover.’ It would deteriorate a lot of young fighters, but for me, it motivates me. It empowers me to train harder and I realize that if I don’t become greater than Muhammad Ali, it’s my own fault.
Jon Jones is not going to become greater than Muhammad Ali. And it’s not his fault. He is simply not the greatest.
Neither is Conor McGregor. But what Conor McGregor is is greatest figure in MMA right now. And that is enough.
