How do you know when a fighter is starting to reach notoriety outside the scope of what we normally think of as a "UFC star"? Having an athlete like LeBron James raving about you on social media is a pretty good place to start.
Conor McGregor has, in just his 3 short years in the UFC, carved out a space for himself as big as practically anyone the sport has ever seen. And, surprisingly, he seems to have done it without a lot of the outside promotion (movies, commercials, pro-wrestling) that other breakout MMA stars have enjoyed. At the moment, he's more notable for his fighting, and his verbal sparring, than anything else.
And it's that obvious talent in the ring, along with his loquacious personality that's caught the eye of superstar athlete LeBron James, who took to Instagram to make it known that Conor McGregor is speaking his language:
I'm obsessed!! Straight up #StriveForGreatness #AndThatsWhyImNeverSatisfied
It looks like, at least in the short term future, Conor McGregor's star is still rising. Before long we could see McGregor hit the same levels of broader recognition that Ronda Rousey was able to achieve over the last couple years, as the most notable face of the sport outside the MMA bubble as well as in it.