Much like his MMA career the past half-decade or so, Conor McGregor’s venture into politics, for now, will go down as a lot of bluster.
McGregor, a former UFC fighter and recently adjudicated rapist in the eyes of Ireland’s civil High Court for a 2018 sexual assault, late Sunday posted on social media that he has decided to drop out of a bid to become the next president of Ireland. McGregor, taking many pages from right-wing American influencer-turned-political experts and politicians, blamed the tail tuck of his foray into politics on an Irish political system that he says is broken.
But McGregor couldn’t even get on the ballot to begin with. In August, he posted a link to a petition that urged his social media followers to “SIGN MY PETITION NOW TO SAVE IRELAND” when it was clear he had nowhere near the support he needed from Irish politicians to be a candidate. It was an 11th hour attempt to get himself into the game.
McGregor has said he aspires to political office in the near future and has taken up a nationalistic right-wing rallying cry similar to Donald Trump in that pursuit. Like Trump, McGregor has multiple sexual assault accusations against him, and now, like Trump, a ruling against him for one, too.
McGregor, 37, announced his intention to run for president of Ireland in March, not long after he met with Trump at the White House to, in his words, “raise the issues the people of Ireland face.” Throughout 2025, McGregor regularly has taken to social media to paint the picture of a dire political climate in his home country, calling himself “the only logical choice” to succeed Irish President Michael D. Higgins.
McGregor this past November was found liable for the 2018 sexual assault of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel. Then McGregor lost his appeal to have the decision reversed.
After that, McGregor, who has four children with partner Dee Devlin, made a plea to his countrywomen and countrymen to stand with him in the wake of the mountain of civil and criminal charges against him over the years, and the civil rape and sexual assault trial that now has come home to roost. A poll earlier this year found that just 7% of people said they would vote for McGregor to be president of Ireland.
McGregor has continued to say he will make a UFC return and reportedly had his first drug test back in the testing pool. He hasn’t fought since a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in mid-2021.
“This is not the end, but the beginning of my political journey,” McGregor posted. “I am driven by a commitment to improve lives, defend rights, and serve the Irish people with dedication and integrity.”
