IRISH MMA star Conor McGregor’s fall from grace could not have been more dramatic. From global icon and business tycoon, worshipped by millions across the world, to convicted rapist after civil proceedings in Dublin, his is a tale of how fame corrupts and absolute fame corrupts completely.

It also confirms that the hyper-masculinity of combat sports constitutes a potential danger to both the fighters involved and society in general. The result of this danger in McGregor’s case is a traumatised female victim with the courage to stand up to him, a man whom so many have bowed down to, and he now dealing with the aftershock in terms of now being widely regarded as a pariah.

McGregor’s unravelling, it should be understood, began long before the point where his sense of entitlement culminated in rape. It is a story worthy of the character from Greek mythology, Icarus; whereby his wealth and fame propelled him to fly too close to the sun.