McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, but he’s been making headlines ever since.
In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, won a civil damages claim against him for assault by rape.
A jury found McGregor raped Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 and he was ordered to pay her £206,000 plus damages.
McGregor lost his appeal to a civil jury in July 2025, and the following month Hand announced her intention to sue him and two others for damages, alleging they had maliciously abused the legal process.
Despite losing her appeal, McGregor continues to accuse Hand and her lawyers of lying, while Hand said the trial has “re-traumatized her time and time again.”
When asked this week if he understood why people were uncomfortable in the spotlight following the outcome of the civil case, McGregor replied: “I am an innocent man and I will maintain my innocence until the day I am released.
“There’s a reason it didn’t go where it did and it went to civil court. It is what it is.
McGregor also accepted an 18-month suspension last year for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy after missing three drug tests over a 12-month period in 2024.
The ban, introduced backdated to a third missed test in September 2024, ended in March.
McGregor was tested 14 times.external Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) this year, more than any other fighter on the UFC roster.
In 2019, he was found guilty and fined €1,000 (£850) for punching a man who rejected his offer of a drink in a Dublin pub.
Some commentators have argued that McGregor’s support in Ireland, where he was seen as a pioneer on the road to stardom, has waned.
Last March, Irish political leaders said McGregor “does not speak for Ireland” after he criticized the country’s immigration policies, and in September he abandoned his bid for the presidency.
“I’m not here to bring anyone back, I’m here to represent my country. What’s happening in Ireland is the saddest story in the West,” McGregor said at a press conference this week.