McGregor says he's got a shot. History shows we should believe him

In 2008, a 20-year-old Irish featherweight with a 4-1 record and pimples on his cheeks declared his intentions to one day compete in the world's biggest mixed martial arts promotion, despite having never seen a fighter from his home country in the UFC.

"I'm an up-and-coming fighter and without a doubt you will see me on the UFC in the near future. Without a doubt," Conor McGregor said.

That version of McGregor was less experienced, less stylish, less braggadocious, and much less rich, but it was the first indication this man was more than just a fighter - a borderline prophet had entered the fighting world.

After making it to the big show within five years of his prediction, the UFC's only same-time double champion in history is still facing doubters as he prepares for his first professional boxing match, against Floyd Mayweather Jr., the face of the sport for the last 20 years.

Related - Easy money: 3 reasons Floyd Mayweather will beat Conor McGregor

On paper, the Irish southpaw doesn't stand a chance against the 49-0, five-division world champion boxer. He doesn't have the experience. He's training with MMA coaches. He's not allowed to kick or grapple or submit. He might have to fight seven more rounds than he's used to. His gloves are twice the size now. And he's never professionally boxed.

The only reason anyone is giving McGregor a chance is because he says he has one, and that's not a bad reason at all.

Removing the measurable athletic accomplishments and all those tactical factors from the equation, McGregor's innate ability to predict his own future in the face of unconquerable odds makes it impossible to count him out of any fight. His career is littered with the precise premonitions of "Mystic Mac."

July 2014 - Birth of 'Mystic Mac'

Prior to his first UFC bout, McGregor predicted he would single-handedly force the promotion to return to Ireland. And McGregor's first headline fight came against Diego Brandao in Dublin. Two days before facing the Ultimate Fighter winner, McGregor called his shot for his third UFC fight.

"The country will shut down for this fight. I don't think there's a fighter in the UFC's history that's done what I have done in the space that I've done it. And Saturday, when I go out there and put Diego away in the first round, I'll prove my worth," he said.

Before McGregor's next bout, he did it again, predicting a first-round victory over Dustin Poirier. After 106 seconds of the first round, McGregor ended Poirier's night at UFC 178 and a new nickname was added to the resume.

McGregor boasted: "I said I would knock him out in the first round, and I knocked him out in the first round. You can call me Mystic Mac because I predict these things."

July 2015 - Specifics of a title shot

By early 2015, after five UFC wins, McGregor had put himself in line for a featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo, but a prediction from late 2014 ended up being more accurate than he would have liked.

"I could see a fight between myself and Jose being scheduled and then I could see Jose pulling," he'd said.

Aldo did pull out of the fight, claiming a rib injury, but McGregor would get his shot at the interim title against Chad Mendes, who he knew what to expect from as well.

"We (will) have these exchanges and these scrambles and his belly is going to be breathing in and his body is going to be screaming for oxygen and I'm going to be still there in his face cracking him with everything I have, every shot, the heel, the knee, the elbow, the fist, every shot in the book I have," McGregor said. "And that will be that."

December 2015 - Shocking the world

After his oddly specific prognosis versus Mendes, the face of Irish fighting started making claims that caused the entire MMA community to dub him foolish. Following his sixth UFC win, McGregor confidently claimed he would not only end Aldo's five-year reign as featherweight champion - he would hand the MMA legend his first-ever knockout.

"I feel I will KO him inside one (round)," he predicted. "If he makes that walk and he is in the Octagon, I feel every single movement I make will get an overreaction off of him because he's emotionally invested in it."

Everyone in the fight world learned McGregor's name once he landed that left hand, but again, he saw that coming, making a bold prediction at a press conference in November 2014.

"Let's see by the end of 2015. Let's see who has the highest pay-per-view numbers. Let's see who has the highest gate. Let's see who has the highest attendance, because I am setting up for that, and we are in talks for big, big things."

November 2016 - 'The double champ does what the f--k he wants'

Even before he knocked out Brandao, McGregor dreamt up expectations no fighter in the promotion had ever accomplished.

While he is yet to be granted his shares in the UFC (although that could still very well happen), "the Notorious" made good on his 2014 Twitter prediction by November 2016. The featherweight champion's pre-fight comments before taking on lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 were fairly bold, as well.

"I'm going to wrap one on one shoulder, I'm gonna wrap the other on the other shoulder, and they're gonna need a f--kin' army to come take them belts off me!"

Guess what happened.

Even Saturday's fight with Mayweather was once an unbelievable utterance out of McGregor's mouth.

"After the Manny (Pacquiao) fight happened, there's no more real draws. If you're looking for a fight that would generate interest, it must be a cross and match up different styles," McGregor said about a potential fight with Mayweather on "Conan" in July 2015. "I've said it before, I don't think boxing is the style of fighting that can beat Floyd but saying that there are many, many forms of fighting that can beat him.

"If we were to get it on, I would most certainly dismantle him, also."

McGregor believes in himself and his ability to make impossible feats possible. He has the element of surprise and 11 years of youth on his side, but to overcome the perfection that Mayweather has displayed in the ring over the last 20 years, he'll need to channel the magical powers of "Mystic Mac."