Conor McGregor collected a $235 welfare check one week before becoming a star in his first UFC fight

Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather begin a promotional tour on Tuesday for a fight that is expected to pay the fighters $100 million each.

For McGregor, the multimillion-dollar fight and Hollywood-esque, four-city promotional tour is a far cry from where he was just four years ago.

McGregor exploded onto the scene in his first UFC fight in 2013. After making a name for himself in the Irish mixed martial arts scene, McGregor knocked out Marcus Brimage in 67 seconds in Stockholm, Sweden in his UFC debut.

Days before booking a flight to Stockholm for the fight, McGregor had collected a welfare check from the Irish government for $235, according to Yahoo's Kevin Iole.

McGregor was working as an apprentice plumber in Ireland when he decided the life wasn't for him. He told The Guardian's Donald McRae in 2015:

"It just wasn’t for me. I was waking at 5am and walking in the dark, freezing cold until I reached the motorway and waited for a guy I didn’t even know to take me to the site, where I worked for 12 hours and then got driven back and walked home. I know there are passionate, skilled plumbers. But I had no love for plumbing."

McGregor quit plumbing and pursued an MMA career, losing two of his first three professional fights before going on a nine-fight winning streak and earning his first UFC contract in 2013. When he knocked out Brimage, he won a $60,000 bonus for "Knockout of the Night."

After his 2013 debut, McGregor reflected on his rise and collecting welfare days before. He also hinted at his desire for a flashy lifestyle in the future (via Yahoo).

"Just last week I was collecting the social welfare. I was in there saying to them, 'I don't know what's going to happen. I'm signed to the UFC. I don't know. Blah, blah, blah.' Now I suppose I'm just going to have to tell them [expletive] off.

...

"To be honest, I don't know what's going on here. I'm just up here hearing $60,000. I'm just thinking of what I'm going to spend it on. Maybe a nice car and some suits or something, some custom-made suits. I don't know ... I'm making money here, I didn't have money before this, you know. Like I said, I was collecting 180 Euros a week off the social welfare and here I am and I've got 60 G's bonus and my own pay."

Dana White was also blown away by McGregor's debut, saying after the fight in 2013, "I

Conor McGregor collected a $235 welfare check one week before becoming a star in his first UFC fight

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