Conor McGregor dressed as Mexican gangster “El Chapo” for press conference ahead of ill-fated fight against Rafael dos Anjos

The Irishman’s popularity came from a combination of his skills in the Octagon and on the microphone.

Wanting to repeat his successes with Cage Warriors, “Notorious” moved up in weight to attempt to become the first dual-weight champion in UFC history by defeating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196.

Conor McGregor’s El Chapo costume went unnoticed by many

A few days before the UFC 196 press conference, the capture of Mexican gangster Joaquín Guzmán – better known as “El Chapo” – by Mexican authorities was the biggest headline in the world.

Inspired by what he saw on television, McGregor decided to dress like the notorious criminal when he first faced Dos Anjos before their fight.

The joke was on many people’s minds even after the UFC superstar used one of his verbal tirades against the lightweight champion to point out the costume he put together.

McGregor said: “I speak Spanish. I’m dressed like “El Chapo” in his prime.

“I run this company like a half-smart guy. I’m up here verbally destroying this man. I am a multicultural person. I’m up here doing whatever I want.”

During their duel, the 36-year-old directed the skit by imitating the pose of “El Chapo” that he used when meeting actor Sean Penn for the controversial interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

Unfortunately, the fight never took place as dos Anjos had to pull out of the bout due to a foot injury, something McGregor has been teasing him about ever since.

Nate Diaz stepped in on short notice and shocked the world by knocking out McGregor at UFC 196 in March 2016. A rematch occurred later that year, and McGregor got revenge thanks to a majority decision at UFC 202.

Dos Anjos lost the 155-pound belt in his next fight. Eddie Alvarez quickly stopped him before McGregor knocked out Alvarez and realized his dream of a two-belt title at UFC 205.

Eight years later, Dos Anjos will look to keep his career on track when he takes on welterweight contender Geoff Neal at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.

McGregor is preparing for an MMA comeback in 2025. The UFC legend is currently looking for an opponent for his first fight since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

Joe Rogan loved Conor McGregor’s “El Chapo” piece

It wasn’t an instant hit, but McGregor’s “El Chapo” costume eventually gained some traction thanks to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who discussed it on his popular podcast.

Rogan said during an October 2019 episode: “Have you ever seen Conor McGregor buy the same shirt and take photos with people in the same pose?

“Conor did the same pose and didn’t tell anyone. Everyone had to find out what Conor was doing.

Rogan’s producer grabbed footage of McGregor posing next to Dos Anjos and compared it to the controversial image of Penn and “El Chapo.”

He added: “Look at him. Look at his face! He’s just a damn animal. Damn, I love this guy. Come on, man, it’s pretty close.

“It’s just the handshake thing. Conor usually puts his fists in people’s faces and talks shit, and in this case he looks like he’s about to shake hands.

“Look at this, it’s like the same thing. He holds out his hand and Dos Anjos doesn’t even think about holding his hand. Dana says, ‘Oh my God. ‘I’m going to make so much money from this fight.’”

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