Conor McGregor believes he is on the path to redemption.
It’s been over four years since the former two-division UFC champion last fought, with McGregor last seen inside the octagon losing a trilogy bout to Dustin Poirier after breaking his leg during their clash at UFC 264. Since then, McGregor has remained in the headlines for a variety of reasons ranging from professional (McGregor spent much of 2024 promoting her starring role in the film Relay) to the political (earlier this year, McGregor ran as a presidential candidate in his native Ireland, but withdrew after his candidacy received little support) to the nefarious (McGregor was found liable for sexual assault in a civil suit last November, following a December 2018 incident in Dublin).
Advertisement
It was also recently announced by Combat Sports Anti-Doping, the UFC’s official doping control partner, that McGregor is currently serving an 18-month suspension for failing to notify the organization of his whereabouts on three occasions. Despite all this, the 37-year-old BKFC co-owner has vowed to make a comeback and on Thursday he spoke at a BKFC press conference in Italy about the changes he has made to his lifestyle.
“Of course, I’m not here by chance,” McGregor said. “There is a higher power, God, that dictates my journey and all our journeys, and I live my life according to the word of God. Since that time that you mentioned in that last event, I have been on a spiritual journey and I am saved. I am healed. Through this, the world is in for a treat. My competitive spark that was once in my heart is now a roaring flame, so I am very excited.”
“I can’t wait to come back and right now I have to log in and hunker down and that’s what I did. I’m very, very excited to come back myself.”
McGregor hasn’t said exactly what changes he’s made to prepare to compete again, or what exactly the exact issues are that have kept him from fighting. At one point, McGregor had to fight The Ultimate Fighter 31 rival Michael Chandler’s coach at UFC 303 in June 2024, but McGregor withdrew from that fight with a broken toe.
Advertisement
BKFC founder David Feldman also spoke at Thursday’s press conference, congratulating McGregor on the unspecified changes and touting McGregor’s potential return to the UFC.
“A lot of people around the world need to make changes in their lives and they’re not doing it because they don’t have the courage, they don’t have the courage to do it, they don’t have the courage to do it, and I just want to take this time to tip my hat and congratulate Conor McGregor for making the kind of changes that he needed to make,” Feldman said. “It’s not easy and you’re going to see the best Conor McGregor you’ve ever seen when he returns to the octagon.”
McGregor recently said his intention was to return to the UFC’s scheduled White House event, which is scheduled to take place on June 14. UFC CEO Dana White dismissed McGregor’s claim that he had already been booked for the historic card, although he acknowledged McGregor’s interest in fighting there.
