Before Conor McGregor squares off against Cowboy Donald Cerrone in UFC 246 Saturday night, his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, rang in 2020 in style. Devlin has been the one constant in McGregor’s life, as the two started dating in 2008, the same year of his first professional fight. Back on Dec. 31, Devlin shared a throwback photo from the early days of their relationship at the start of the previous decade and another picture from the end.
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“Start of the decade [arrow] end of the decade,” Devlin wrote in the post, alongside a heart emoji and the hashtag “forever love.”
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Devlin grew up in Walkinstown, a suburb of Dublin that borders Crumlin, where McGregor grew up. As Page Six notes, McGregor has described their first meeting as being at a friend’s party or at a nightclub at different times in his career. Their social circles overlapped before meeting though, and he has said they flirted online using the now-defunct Bebo.
“We met at a friend’s party like way, way back and then the usual social media, a little bit of a like here, and a like there and then a message,” McCgregor said on RTE’s Late Late Show in April 2017.
In 2015, McGregor told VIP they first hung out at a nightclub.
“I knew her a bit beforehand, but I think the first time I spoke to her properly was when I saw her in a nightclub,” he said. “I asked her to come over and we just started chatting. She seemed like a nice girl, and I like good girls.”
In that same interview, Devlin admitted there was an instant attraction for her.
“He’s very funny – he always keeps me entertained and makes me laugh,” she said at the time. “He was already training when I met him, so I really admired his dedication to that, too.”
McGregor and Devlin share two children. They welcomed Conor Jr. in May 2017, and daughter Croia in January 2019.
“My girlfriend has been there since the start,” McGregor said in 2015. “She has helped me throughout this career. If It wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. So definitely, I love to spoil her. She does not work anymore, I hired her to the business. She works for me now and collects the cheques.”
McGregor’s fight Saturday night will be his first since September 2018, when Khabib Nurmagomedov beat him at UFC 229. His match with Cerrone will be the main event and will stream live on ESPN+ from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’m in a position now where I’m just very, very excited to be here, and I’m very eager to perform for the fans on January 18th,” McGregor said earlier this week, reports USA Today. “I’ve got a solid opponent in front of me, a veteran of the game, and I’m just in a good spot. That’s it. I don’t think I’ve changed or altered, or, you know, I’m just committed and focused and happy to be here.”
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