Conor McGregor has elevated MMA to new heights and become a household name through captivating fights and an entertaining mouth.

But such an ascension can only occur if there’s something about you – when you have a real clarity and determination – and that’s exactly what you’ll find McGregor has if you spend hours in a YouTube hole watching interviews with the man.

The clip below, which is a mishmash of different interviews with McGregor and only really gets interesting around 1:52, provides a great insight into the Irishman.

McGregor speaks about the importance of balance not just in fighting but in life and it ends with a clip of McGregor said to be from 2008, just prior to him joining Cage Warriors, when he would have been 19 or 20.

The belief with which McGregor says “it’s hard to be humble when you are the best” says a lot, and helps explain some of his rise. His confidence has propelled him from winning featherweight and lightweight titles in back-to-back fights for Cage Warriors to winning the same belts for the UFC.

The Muhammad Ali comments, and the story that followed, also said a lot about The Notorious’ early life in south Dublin.

“Muhammad Ali was a guy that done what had not been done before – changed not only the face of his game but the face of the world. He was outspoken. He fought for what he believed in.

“One of my first heroes was Muhammad Ali. When I was 11 years old there was a group of people and they tried to attack me, and a fight broke out. It was just me and one guy, before everyone else jumped in on me. We were fighting each other and I slipped a punch, and I shuffled my shoulders and said ‘Muhammad Ali!’ and threw a shot. He rolled under the shot but fell into a knee and I ended up on top of him”.

He ended up getting a beating by six people but the story shows traits of that supreme confidence and ability we see today as McGregor stands alone as the first person to hold two UFC belts at one time.