Why Conor is The Notorious: He trademarked his nickname and wanted to change it to “Celtic Tiger”

“The coach wrote me down on the phone as “Problem”.

Conor McGregor is returning to the UFC a year and a half after completing his trilogy with Dustin Poirier. Now Conor will become a coach in the new season of TUF, and in the second half of 2023 he will fight with Michael Chandler.

We analyze one of the main parts of his image – the nickname The Notorious.

References to the rapper The Notorious BIG and the reputation of a troubled fighter

Conor is the king of trash talk, which has formed an image around the nickname. The Notorious is translated from English as “infamous”. This nickname was assigned to Conor even before moving to the UFC and was mentioned in 2011, when a fight against Aaron Jansen took place in Jordan.

Conor himself said that the nickname The Notorious appeared because of the coach. Maybe it’s about John Kavanagh: “Because I’m famous for getting into trouble. So I was nicknamed by the coach, who wrote down my contact on the phone as “Problem”. That’s where it all started.”

Another influence is the love for the work of The Notorious BIG rapper Conor listened to all his tracks, used them before entering the octagon and perceived them as martial music. “I love The Notorious BIG – I went out to several of his songs,” McGregor said.

In 2017, at a press conference before a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, McGregor appeared in a fur coat on a bare torso and  addressed the audience: “Make some noise for the greatest The Notorious BIG.” At UFC 246, Conor fought Donald Cerrone and entered the fight to the track Hypnotize.

How Conor uses the nickname: Registered as a trademark and wanted to change it to “Celtic Tiger”

Conor has turned The Notorious nickname into a brand, uses it for nicknames on social networks and beats in posts: “I’m not Notorious BIG – I’m a big Notorious” or “Notorious big balls”.

Boxer Anthony Joshua said he would like to take the same nickname as Conor: “I like Conor McGregor … The Notorious. Too bad I didn’t take that name. I love everything about Conor McGregor. Like what he does for the UFC.”

In 2016, McGregor registered the nickname as a trademark. It comes just months after Grafton filed a trademark for the phrase Notorious 13, a reference to Conor’s 13-second win over Jose Aldo. According to the Sunday Times, he planned to release calendars, clothes, aftershave lotions, cosmetics, books and computer games under his own brand.

Intellectual property lawyer Brian Conroy was surprised that Conor hadn’t done this sooner: “Unlike WWE, the names of mixed martial arts fighters are not trademarks of the UFC, so it’s up to them.

It’s unclear why someone who says they want to “get rich and get away” didn’t defend their own image sooner. Although Ireland really lacks awareness of the importance of a trademark. Ireland is a tiny part of the market, so I think this is the first step in protecting his rights around the world.”

At the same time, in 2015, Conor said that he wanted to change his nickname: “Recently, I have been thinking about it. I like The Notorious. But I see myself giving people jobs. Everywhere you look, someone is making money off my name.

I see that fights are being received on my behalf, articles are being written. And I even like it. But at international fight week, I’m going to break up. That’s why I like my new name “Celtic Tiger” – it suits because… Rupture.

In 2017, Universal Pictures announced the release of a documentary about Conor McGregor. On the cover is the nickname The Notorious in red letters and the slogan “If you want something, you must fight for it.” Ring announcer Bruce Buffer introduces Conor into the octagon as The Notorious. It is this line and representation used at the end of the trailer.