After defeating Eddie Alvarez in November to become the first and only fighter to hold two UFC championship belts simultaneously, Conor McGregor took the microphone and addressed a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.
“I’d like to take this chance to apologize . . . to absolutely nobody.”
It’s that sheer bravado, coupled with his undeniable talent, that has led the man they call “Notorious” to take the biggest — some would say most foolish — risk of his career: going up against boxer Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated, five-division world champ who ESPN has called the greatest boxer, pound-for-pound, of the past quarter-century.
The hugely anticipated fight, taking place Saturday in Las Vegas, will be southpaw McGregor’s first foray into professional boxing. In order to compete, he’ll have to shed the other disciplines that have made him such a ferocious fighter and striker. If McGregor hits Mayweather with anything other than his hands, he’ll face steep financial penalties.
Sure, he’ll walk away with at least $75 million, even if he loses. But a defeat could badly bruise McGregor’s towering ego and the international brand he’s so carefully built.
“You never achieve greatness without taking risks,” UFC President Dana White told The Post. “Nobody takes more risks than Conor McGregor. Nobody handles pressure better than Conor McGregor. He feeds off the pressure, and it’s when he shines the most. It’s when he’s at his best.”
While the mouthy 29-year-old seems to subsist on the fumes of pure bravado, multiple sources told The Post that he would be nothing without his true secret weapon: his longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin.
“Dee is the quiet force behind Conor,” said the fighter’s tailor and friend, David Heil of California-based menswear brand David August. “He totally respects her.”
As McGregor told the Irish Mirror: “If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Devlin — who gave birth to their son, Conor Jr., in May — proudly stands beside her man, even in the ring. While she looks every inch the trophy wife, she is an incredibly important part of the McGregor machine.
In fact, the fighter is seemingly rudderless without her.
“I’ve seen him for long periods of time without Dee. And he doesn’t like it. He feels more comfortable and normal when she is there,” White said. “He is like, ‘I need Dee out here.’ She does something that makes him feel better.”
THE couple’s story rolls out like a modern-day version of Adrian and Rocky, as the pretty brunette has been with the brute since he was a nobody, on the dole and dreaming of fame and fortune.
The pair met at a Dublin nightclub in 2008, when he was 19 and she was 20. McGregor had seen Devlin around town, but that night, he decided to finally break the ice.
“She seemed like a nice girl, and I like good girls,” he told VIP Magazine.
On paper, the working-class boy from the Dublin suburb of Crumlin was hardly a catch. McGregor — who learned to box as an adolescent — had recently quit his job as a plumber to train in mixed martial arts full-time. He was collecting social welfare and drowning out his parents’ nagging pleas to find a proper job.
Still, Devlin has said that she was instantly attracted to the handsome fighter: “He’s very funny — he always keeps me entertained and makes me laugh. He was already training when I met him, so I really admired his dedication to that, too.”
Back then, Devlin supported the pair by working as a secretary. McGregor, who cashed his last $221 welfare check in 2013, is now reportedly worth $35 million — and he has put Devlin on his payroll.
“I love to spoil her. She does not work anymore. I essentially hired her to the business. She works for me now. She collects the checks,” he told MMAFighting.com.
McGregor’s entourage is relatively small compared to those of other athletes, and consists of his coaches, his manager, a few friends, a photographer and security guards.
According to Heil, it’s Devlin who keeps the whole operation running smoothly.
“Ultimately, she is the boss. In the public eye, he’s a flamboyant guy, but when he gets home and Dee says, ‘We’re not going out tonight,’ he says, ‘OK, we’re not going out tonight.’ ”
An MMA source added that Devlin, 30, will cook food for the entire crew and is regarded as a “team mom.” She’s been known to prepare McGregor’s meals, drive him to training and pack his gym bag — even writing messages of inspiration, such as “New Champ,” on his water bottles.
“She takes care of him and makes sure things are set up for him. She makes sure that he’s on time, to the best of her abilities,” said White.
“Conor is a tough guy to reel in. He’s a tough guy to tame, and that’s exactly what she does,” the UFC head added.
“She tames the beast.”
As the hard-hitting McGregor trains at the UFC Performance Institute in Vegas ahead of the Mayweather bout, he and his team are living in a mansion out there. Devlin arrived via private jet on July 14 with Conor Jr. in tow. (McGregor has been spotted at the health-food joint Greens and Proteins with the baby.)
‘It’s flashy, but Dee brings a sense of calm to the relationship. It’s a unique situation.’
“So many of these guys leave their families so they don’t have to listen to any s - - t. And they can shut themselves [off] from the outside world,” White said. “[McGregor] doesn’t do that. He wants Dee to be near him.”
Surprisingly, part of what has united them was a dedication to the self-help book “The Secret.”
On the advice of his sister Erin, McGregor turned to the 2006 best seller, which espouses the idea that positive thinking and visualization — including the creation of vision boards — can usher in wealth and happiness.
He and Devlin became disciples of the book and its “law of attraction” theory, and began focusing on small goals.
“We would be driving to [a] shop and visualizing the exact car park space. And then we’d be able to get it every time,” McGregor has said.
The couple credit “The Secret” for his career ascension. In 2013, the 5-foot-9 striker entered the UFC world by kicking in the door: He knocked out Marcus Brimage in the first round of his first match.
“He’s always said that [the hard work] was for us and our future,” Devlin told VIP. “And that he’ll have us in the best of houses and the best of cars. I’ve always believed that! I always knew that this is where he would be. We believe in the law of attraction, and we’ve always believed that he would make it to the UFC one day.”
Now, the glamorous pair are still like Rocky and Adrian — but in “Rocky III.” They fly in private jets, cruise in Ferraris and other flashy cars, and show up on red carpets in Gucci or custom-tailored fashion. Even Conor Jr. gets in on the action.
“I was just over the house the other day and was fitting Conor Jr. for some suits to match Conor Sr.,” Heil said. “Dee and I were dressing the baby, and Conor comes over to put some glasses on him.”
And in the rare stratosphere of elite fighting, where beautiful women are at the ready, McGregor remains ever more loyal to Devlin.
One Las Vegas source told The Post how the couple only have eyes for each other — even while another woman touches his muscular thighs.
“I walked right into his dressing room just to find him almost completely naked, getting a massage. His girlfriend was right by him with a bunch of his agents and publicists. It was a sight to be seen — a masseuse was rubbing his thighs while he was chitchatting with his girlfriend. They were pretty lovey-dovey together.”
Despite the pair’s tremendous wealth and Champagne-soaked lifestyle — which both flash all over Instagram — Heil insists they’re laid-back.
“They like the high life, but Conor’s really a normal guy. I call him a secret agent. I know Conor and I know ‘the other Conor,’ ” the tailor said. “He plays it so well. [He and Dee] have this public persona. It’s flashy, but Dee brings a sense of calm to the relationship. It’s a unique situation.”
White agrees: “When you have this type of meteoric rise with the money and the fame and all of the stuff that comes with it, there has to be something normal in your life. That’s what Dee does [for McGregor].
“Someone who will believe in your dream with you is special. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is his soulmate.”