Crash and Burn: An Icarus Trinity?

[derekcrankshaft]

I'm writing an article for a small-circulation magazine here in the UK, about the possible pattern of self-destructive genius and blind, misguided belief that we've seen in (amongst others) chess champion Bobby Fischer, boxing champion Naseem Hamed and now- I predict these tings (!)- MMA champion Conor McGregor.

These self-obsessed, arrogant and intriguing talents seem destined from the start to 'fly too close to the sun' (hence the title of the article) and to crash and burn before fulfilling both their promise and their promises.

I'd appreciate any insights MMA fans might be able to give on this phenomena, as it relates to currently troubled MMA superstar McGregor.

Is it all in the process of unravelling for him?
Was this inevitable, given his claims and stated intentions?
Do we ultimately find others' failure equally (if not more) entertaining and interesting than their success?

 

[wilKO]

Conor is still on the rise. An intelligent eye can see that the Diaz loss was a false flag. People think he is weak so now he can beat RDA and Robbie Lawler before ultimately retiring as CEO of Zuffa and king of MMA.

Either that or he will lose to Edgar and retire again. Whatever.

 

[12ga.]

Conor is still on the rise. An intelligent eye can see that the Diaz loss was a false flag. People think he is weak so now he can beat RDA and Robbie Lawler before ultimately retiring as CEO of Zuffa and king of MMA.

Either that or he will lose to Edgar and retire again. Whatever.

LMAO. I'm going with the caveat.

 

[Th3Sav4ge]

I'm writing an article for a small-circulation magazine here in the UK, about the possible pattern of self-destructive genius and blind, misguided belief that we've seen in (amongst others) chess champion Bobby Fischer, boxing champion Naseem Hamed and now- I predict these tings (!)- MMA champion Conor McGregor.

These self-obsessed, arrogant and intriguing talents seem destined from the start to 'fly too close to the sun' (hence the title of the article) and to crash and burn before fulfilling both their promise and their promises.

I'd appreciate any insights MMA fans might be able to give on this phenomena, as it relates to currently troubled MMA superstar McGregor.

Is it all in the process of unravelling for him?
Was this inevitable, given his claims and stated intentions?
Do we ultimately find others' failure equally (if not more) entertaining and interesting than their success?

i think luke thomas already said the icarus line. so dont use that angle

 

[derekcrankshaft]

i think luke thomas already said the icarus line. so dont use that angle

Really?!

Never mind, the article will be for a mostly non-MMA audience, so it doesn't really matter.

 

[wilKO]

Really?!

Never mind, the article will be for a mostly non-MMA audience, so it doesn't really matter.

Kenny?

 

[TheWaxMurderer]

His attitude and claims raises the stakes of every fight he has, which makes both a win or a loss more entertaining as he's essentially putting more chips down on the table.

 

[Th3Sav4ge]

Really?!

Never mind, the article will be for a mostly non-MMA audience, so it doesn't really matter.

yeah, he literally said "it looks like icarus flew to close to the sun".

id advise against using it if you want to remain credible. There has to be a bunch of storys or sayings about biting off more than one can chew

 

[Nezahualcoyotl]

Bones is way more "troubled" and still the #1 P4P.

So ya.

 

[Th3Sav4ge]

Bones is way more "troubled" and still the #1 P4P.

So ya.

jones's trouble didnt result in him droppin a fight though.


It can also be argued that conor didnt fly to close to the sun. He won the FW belt. that is the top of the mountain.

 

[georgekillian]

I'm writing an article for a small-circulation magazine here in the UK, about the possible pattern of self-destructive genius and blind, misguided belief that we've seen in (amongst others) chess champion Bobby Fischer, boxing champion Naseem Hamed and now- I predict these tings (!)- MMA champion Conor McGregor.

These self-obsessed, arrogant and intriguing talents seem destined from the start to 'fly too close to the sun' (hence the title of the article) and to crash and burn before fulfilling both their promise and their promises.

I'd appreciate any insights MMA fans might be able to give on this phenomena, as it relates to currently troubled MMA superstar McGregor.

Is it all in the process of unravelling for him?
Was this inevitable, given his claims and stated intentions?
Do we ultimately find others' failure equally (if not more) entertaining and interesting than their success?

You don't have enough evidence to include McGregor as any meaningful part of the article. Check back in 12 to 18 months. Right now you have a guy who's coming off of a loss and recently lost a negotiation as well. Thats it. Hardly evidence of flying too close to the sun. If a year or so from now and McGregor has lost again or his name value has dropped significantly then your thesis might have legs but there's no realistic credible way to prove it. Also if you're really writing for a magazine I saw you say below that the audience won't know mma or McGregor then what's the point of including him. Write for your audience.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

You don't have enough evidence to include McGregor as any meaningful part of the article. Check back in 12 to 18 months. Right now you have a guy who's coming off of a loss and recently lost a negotiation as well. Thats it. Hardly evidence of flying too close to the sun. If a year or so from now and McGregor has lost again or his name value has dropped significantly then your thesis might have legs but there's no realistic credible way to prove it. Also if you're really writing for a magazine I saw you say below that the audience won't know mma or McGregor then what's the point of including him. Write for your audience.

I agree with this, there has to be way better people you can include in this list.

One of (if not) the greatest chess players of all time with a career in mind mastery that spanned decades
Prince Nas, one of the most entertaining and unique lighter weight boxers of all time with a 10 year career

And then Conor McGregor, who beat a couple sub top 20 fighters and then the two top fighters at 145lbs. Then lost

 

[LouisBolanos]

Just wait until Jack Slack writes an article about it and copy paste it for your article. They will never know. People do this all the time on forums and get sweet karma.

 

[MusterX]

Obsession has alot to do with it but that can't be all of it because many athletes are obsessed but don't prematurely nuke their own careers. Why did Mike Tyson become the youngest boxing champion in history and then later end up in prison for rape and ultimately bite off Holyfield's ear during a bout? Some blame it all on the death of his trainer Cus D'Amato.

Ego certainly plays a part in it but like obsession that can't tell the entire story. What would drive a guy like Jon Jones to party his ass off, full well knowing he should be training hard. His ego, because he knew he could probably win anyhow. Jones is a better study in the duality of athletes than McGregor ever would be. You have a guy who was, like Tyson, the youngest champ in history, who is considered undefeated, who is a master within his sport, but who cannot stop getting in trouble with the law and snorting cocaine off hooker's asses.

Ego, obsession and talent play a part in it but that doesn't tell the entire story. There has to be more. Special treatment may play its roll in these type of athletes downfall. Jones for example really believes that he can continue to get away with what he does, because he continues to get away with what he does. This is the same idea at play with McGregor when at first he starts talking shit to fighters, but then ultimately creates an illusion that he has become equal to his employers and so he projects that to the world, and it costs him because he doesn't know where the line is. He has always received special treatment for shit talking, why wouldn't that continue? Same thing with Jones, there is a continuation of behavior that does not run up against any sort of abatement.

Eventually these athletes either run into other athletes that can stop them, or into an employer that can stop them, or into law enforcement that will stop them. Why does it have to come to that? Because they don't know where the line is, they don't know like the rest of us what you can say and what you can do and what you cannot say and what you cannot do. In the end it seems to be some combination of ego, obsession, talent, special treatment, and an X-factor psychologically that prevents them from living in the same reality as the rest of us. Some part of them is unable to perceive where the lines are that one cannot cross whether that be McGregor's problem with the UFC and thinking he can beat any man of any size, anytime, anywhere, or whether it be Jon Jones or Mike Tyson's legal woes.

 

[MasterNinjaRat]

Well, maybe you want to wait and see a couple more of fights. It was his only loss in the UFC to date, and there are as been many great fighters and champions in combat sports that lost. Muhammad Ali was pretty cocky and arrogant at one point, lost fights in and out of the ring, but people today consider him the GOAT.

As a journalist you should see this, and be patient if you really want to write an good article. Or do it from the one's whos careers have been dead and buried already.

 

[RoscoeRufus]

You don't have enough evidence to include McGregor as any meaningful part of the article. Check back in 12 to 18 months.

This.
The Diaz fight was a huge setback, but the ship hasn't started sinking just yet.

 

[derekcrankshaft]

His attitude and claims raises the stakes of every fight he has, which makes both a win or a loss more entertaining as he's essentially putting more chips down on the table.

Good perspective.
I'll look to develop that theme, thanks.

 

[chunglii]

No better source of psychological expertise than Sherdog

 

[derekcrankshaft]

yeah, he literally said "it looks like icarus flew to close to the sun".

id advise against using it if you want to remain credible. There has to be a bunch of storys or sayings about biting off more than one can chew

Thanks for the heads up, I'll think about that.
As to 'remaining credible', I'm not sure I ever was that in the first place! LOL

 

[derekcrankshaft]

You don't have enough evidence to include McGregor as any meaningful part of the article. Check back in 12 to 18 months. Right now you have a guy who's coming off of a loss and recently lost a negotiation as well. Thats it. Hardly evidence of flying too close to the sun. If a year or so from now and McGregor has lost again or his name value has dropped significantly then your thesis might have legs but there's no realistic credible way to prove it. Also if you're really writing for a magazine I saw you say below that the audience won't know mma or McGregor then what's the point of including him. Write for your audience.

Thanks for the input.
McGregor is current, he's culturally relevant and is experiencing something of a backlash in the media.
Part of the basis of what I'm writing is that we wait excitedly to see people fall on their face.
I'm also playing on Conor's 'Mystic Mac' schtick to 'predict' (lightheartedly) that he'll drop completely off the radar in the next year, as Fischer and Hamed did, arguably at their peaks.

McG panic retires...