Notorious: The Biography of Conor McGregor

by Jack Slack

The Dubliner has achieved more in three years with the UFC than anyone in the 20 year history of the organization. From an unknown prospect to the first man to hold two world titles simultaneously, McGregor's knockout-filled march through the featherweight and lightweight rankings sent shockwaves through the world. But as effortless as McGregor's heroics seem, his journey was far from smooth. Just another teenager trading martial arts techniques with his friends, he chased a pipe dream with little promise of reward. No one guessed he would become the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the world. This is not another tale of an athlete born exceptional and groomed for success. It is about how one young man, through bloody-minded determination and indomitable spirit, changed the whole game.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Martial Arts, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2018

About the author

Jack Slack is a pen name of an anonymous British freelance writer, podcaster, analyst and amateur historian of combat sport; most notable as a mixed martial arts (MMA) striking analyst, writing detailed, analytical breakdowns of fighters, fighting techniques and strategies, using videos, photos and animated GIFs. Slack formerly wrote regularly for BloodyElbow, Bleacher Report, Vice Sports and Unibet. Due to successful Patreon support, he independently writes on his blog FightPrimer and bi-weekly broadcasts Jack Slack Podcast (formerly named Fights Gone By (FGB) podcast) on YouTube.

Reviews

[hjortur · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am the first to rate the book I put five stars for good measure. I will move it down to four later.

This is an excellently written book by one of MMAs better writers and Jack sticks to his quirky style some of us are familiar from his Fightland articles (or from other platforms), with references to other fights and fighters from other eras seemingly out of nowhere. Having much less technical understanding than him, I was pleasantly surprised that it is much more accessible than some of those articles, as he often takes breaks mid-chapter to delve into technical details to explain some of Conor's success.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

No actual interview material here, but Slack, like Chris Brown and Zach Lowe, is someone whose fight analyses warrant careful reading. Slack teaches readers about the fight game rather than recapitulating generic descriptions, and the result is an extremely enjoyable experience. Another model for how these sorts of books should be done. It's a shame there weren't more "figures" depicting stances, movements, etc. since those were extremely helpful. Hopefully he gets a few more books like this out in print before he's done.

[PolicemanPrawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography of UFC fighter Conor McGregor, from when he first set foot in a gym up to the point when he became a two-weight champion, and just before the fight with Floyd got made. The book covers everything in an adequate and readable manner; I read it quickly and wasn't at any point bored. There are some side discussions of fighting technique which was interesting and informative, but could have been explained better. Obviously, this is for interested folks and fans rather than a general audience. I'm reading it in preparation for the biggest spectacle the world has ever seen, on 27 August 2017.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contained some impressively intelligent, detailed fight writing (though it seldom captured the actual excitement of the fights IMO), but overall it could have been at least fifty pages shorter if it had lived up to its title by sticking to McGregor’s life and fights. One could argue that some of the material was relevant context. I would argue that 90% of this so-called “context” was in fact pure filler. So this loses a star for excessive padding.



Fuck padding.

[Joseph Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conor McGregor is the biggest superstar the young sport of MMA has ever known. A brash trash talker with a cannon for a left hand and a way of proving his critics wrong. Jack Slack is the best MMA writer around and my favourite sports writer. Notorious looks at the rise of Ireland's favourite son through the lens of each of his fights.

Unlike boxing however, most MMA fighters lose, and for the good ones that makes them better. McGregor's gym has the motto ‘win or learn’. There is a real appreciation for how McGregor strives to improve. His gyms motto is something he lives by. After the famous loss to Nate Diaz, Conor signed up right away for the rematch and insisted it be at the same weight. He then focussed his training on making up from where he went wrong.

Notorious is no quick cash-in hagiography. While it recounts McGregor early days, that is brief. This book looks at his development through his fights. Slack covers each of his fights and how he progressed as a fighter each time. These fight breakdowns are the heart of the book, each encounter has a blow-by-blow examination.

Read my longer review at http://hardertodestroy.com/notorious-...

[Noah Melser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never watched a UFC fight before, so not a good audience. I hope Slack's monotonous and detailed recounts of his fights appeals to fight fans. I was surprised that this biography contained so little biography and that the fights were described with so little attention to the excitement of them. It seemed like there would be plenty of material to make something interesting out of this life, but Slack feels like a writer who hates words and writing.

[Kobe Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until a biopic is made, this is probably the most concise and entertaining summary of Conor McGregor's story (up until 2018). Jack Slack also incorporates a beginner-friendly explanation of martial arts technique basics, footwork, and aspects of Conor's strengths that made him so deadly in his come-up and prime. Hopefully when Conor calls it a career Slacky boy J will be back to finish the job with a sequel.

[Tiarnán · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book giving summaries of McGregor's fights and some technical insight and biographical info. slightly repetitive in parts and at times some of the humour or references fall flat. But Slack is still probably the most fluid and readable writer about martial arts today.

[Jose Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was action packed and intense. The central idea of the book was to never give up on your dreams since Conor McGregor's dream was to fight in the UFC and he later reached his dream. Something I liked about this book was how Conor McGregor developed his skills during all his fights. Something I didn't like about this book was when Conor gave up after he lost for the first time and went back to his boring job. In conclusion this book was enjoyable and all the fights he had were interesting.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for the casual fan who wants to deepen their understanding of combat sports. McGregor's rise to two-divison champ is detailed on a fight-by-fight basis, with an examination of each fight and of his development as a fighter. Jack Slack has an enormous depth of technical and historical knowledge and it shows, but don't be intimidated - the book is very much written with the new or casual fan in mind with explanations of the most fundamental to the most technical elements of the fights.

[Thomas J. Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Slack is my favorite MMA fight analyst for a reason. He has a skill for breaking down martial arts technique like few others, layering his insights with his sharp, witty style. I was expecting a more full biography, but I still enjoyed what was essentially a Conor McGregor fightography. Slack chronicles every single one of Conor's fights in keen detail while occasionally taking time out to explain various fundamentals of "the sweet science." If you want both an MMA education and an entertaining guided tour through every punch McGregor has thrown, this is the book for you.

[Ally Van Schilt · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - this was more of a commentary/narration of Conor’s career up until 2016, and I didn’t really gain a great deal of insight from it. Granted, some of the more interesting things to happen have happened post-publication, but it felt a bit like one of the most entertaining and dynamic fighters on earth was reduced to a technical snooze-fest in some chapters of this book.
I think if you’re wanting to learn more about McGregor, the best point of call is John Kavanagh’s book.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a recap of Conor’s fights rather than a true biography. There wasn’t much behind the scenes or exclusive information (if any) and the majority of the books benefits come from the analytical breakdowns of fight technique found in grey. Would recommend if you’re a mcgregor fan but know what you’re getting into.

[Adil Ehsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book a is a biography of Connon Mcgregor upto the second Nate Diaz fight so no insight into the fight with Floyd Mayweather or the aftermath. As a story about Mcgregor I found the biography a standard 3 stars...but its fthe writing about the beauty, strategies and dilemmas of striking that pushes this book into the 5 star territory. To tell you the truth the Mcgregor bio as a whole for me was teh leats interesting part of it however Jack Slack's writing on striking and what makes Mcgregor special is what made me sit up and take more notice of him beyond just another talented UFC fighter. Its what makes the book far more interesting and a must read for anyone interested in striking as a whole even if they don't really care about Mcgregor or the UFC even.

[Ahmed Alkadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combat sports writing at its finest!! The book is less of a biography, and more of a technical analysis of McGregor's fighting style and evolution as a martial artist and UFC superstar!

As a martial artist myself, I was surprised to learn so much from Jack Slack elaboration on fighting stances, footwork, game plans and strategies!

A must read for any MMA/Boxing fan who wants to have a better technical understanding of the sweet science of unarmed man combat.

[Oryx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, obviously I didn't read this for the quality of the writing. I kind of glazed over the prose, keeping my distance, afraid it might infect me.

That said: It's Conor McGregor... (!) I feel bad not awarding this five stars.

3.69

[Tauseef Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise biography with interesting details which occurred during Notorious' career which as a in-between casual and die-hard MMA fan which I didn't know about. Also, the 'Sweet Science' sections were ace, improved my knowledge on the fight game.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book was somewhat of a disappointment as it contains nothing that we don't already know and have seen and read.
I expected a lot more from this book and i certainly won't be recommending it to anyone!

[Juan Gargiulo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new standard for combat sports writing. Simply magnificent.

[Ralitsa Mitova · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Szj2...

[Dominick Alleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor is a beast!!!

This story is amazing. I read about how much effort he put to become the greatest fighter on earth. Incredible!!!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

+1

[Laura Jennings · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt like a commentary of everything I’d read to date and no sense of any additional insight into McGregor.

[Mark Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read and revisiting the fights of conor McGregor. Look forward to reading his next chapter from what’s happened since the end of this one. Easy short read and enjoyable. 5 stars from me.

[19MairA]

I think this is a good book about his life and what’s happened in it this may even inspire some young people!

[Jon Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to do a book report on this and it was very lackluster biography. Not good.

[Adam Golden · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5/5★)
Overall a pretty decent biography of the man who got me casually interested in MMA, Conor McGregor. While it's obvious that Conor has a long career ahead of him with (I'm sure) many more mind-blowing accomplishments to add to his resume, it may be just a bit early for a fully fledged biography. That being said, Slack has an innate talent for writing about martial arts and combat sports in general, and really made the fights that Mcgregor participated in jump out on paper. Slack also does well explaining technical moves and martial art types for newcomers to understand at a feasible level. I'd say realistically only about 1/3 of the book is focused solely on Mcgregor, the rest of the book focuses primarily on the history of the UFC, the fighters he fought (and didn't fight), and general techniques and styles of martial arts.

[Dom Hung · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are an MMA fan interested in sports writers view for McGregor, this book is an interesting read as it dives really into sweet science and revisiting of McGregor’s fights and opponents

It was definitely less of an autobiography than I expected as I was hopeful to learn about McGregors life and how he came from nothing and mental challenges to overcome

This book did show that McGregor plays the ultimate heel but away from cameras he is loyal to those who supported him so you can’t fault him on that

[Beyram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descrive ogni match di McGregor nei minimi dettagli, dalle varie tecnice alle speculazioni giornalistiche

[Josue]

This book was interesting I enjoyed it. The lesson that the story conveys is not to give up on what you love to do. In Conors early fighting days no one would have thought he was going to be the best MMA fighter there is. Something positive about this book is that the author goes into a lot of detail on Conors journey to become the best and the people who helped him get to where he is today. People doubted him but he got through the challenges. I didn't find a negative thing about the book it was interesting and I recommend people who are fans of Conor Mcgregor to read this.