Ahead Of Return, UFC Fighter Conor McGregor Went On A Spiritual Journey
NEW YORK — When MMA fans last saw Conor McGregor in the Octagon, he was screaming, spewing venom in bitter agony.
After a buildup that saw him take his usual trash talk to new heights, McGregor was settling the score with rival Dustin Poirier. The Irishman had knocked Poirier out in their first meeting in 2014. Nearly seven years later, Poirier returned the favor, finishing McGregor in the second round of their rematch.
The third and final bout between them took place in July 2021. The Louisiana native dominated the first round, which would prove to be the end of the fight. Later in the round, McGregor snapped his leg from a checked kick and was unable to continue.
As Poirier celebrated his victory and scorned McGregor’s verbal antics, McGregor was yelling with his back to the ring.
“Doctor’s stoppage, doctor’s stoppage,” he exclaimed. “I was boxing the bleeding head off him, this is not over. If I have to take this outside with him, we’ll go outside. I don’t give a f—-.”
“Your wife is in me DMs,” McGregor yelled at Poirier as security officers intervened. “We’ll be at the afterparty [at] the Wynn nightclub, baby.”
Five years later, McGregor is set to return to the Octagon on July 11 against Max Holloway. Since then, the brash brawler has rebranded himself. While the ability to banter remains, he has been more collected yet loud about his faith in media appearances.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the former two-division UFC champion was asked if he has any regrets, to which he said, “No”.
“God knows my heart and things I have gone through,” McGregor, now 37, proclaimed. “I forgive myself for disgracing the position God put me in, which I’ve done many times, and I won’t do it again. I don’t have regrets. I’m happy and thankful for the lessons I learned along the way.”
When Helwani asked about McGregor’s recent and repetitious praises, he claimed, “I am a religious man.”
“I was raised Catholic by my mother and my family. It takes a deeper meaning when you hit rock bottom, and there’s nothing else there but God,” McGregor continued. “And then just the divine coincidences, everything, just, I keep seeing it, I keep being shown it, and I’m going all in on it.”
Tokens of protection
McGregor was raised in a Catholic household in Dublin, Ireland, and has long spoken about his religious upbringing. In a 2024 interview with GQ Sports, he showed religious accessories that were gifted to him by family members.
The chain he wears beneath his often glamorous outfits were tokens of protection from different saints in the Catholic faith.
“I am a holy man, Catholic,” McGregor said. “My mother instilled it in us, and I carry it on me at all times.”
He then displayed a pendant with the Archangel Michael engraved on it. The main pendant was also paired with another in the shape of Saint Michael’s sword.
“It’s to protect you,” McGregor said of the chain. “To focus on good over evil. I also have another one for Saint Christopher, to protect you in your travels. It was given to me by my children and fiancée.”
Rise and fall
During his meteoric rise to UFC and mainstream stardom, McGregor has also shown glimpses of his religious background, mainly by making the sign of the cross before stepping into the Octagon. However, his affiliations and mentions of religion have not always been in a positive light.
At the peak of his stardom, McGregor had said several remarks that raised eyebrows among believers. In a 2016 interview with TMZ Sports, the Irishman laughed when asked about a hypothetical fight between himself and Jesus.
“There’s not a man alive that could beat me,” McGregor claimed. “But Jesus isn’t alive so maybe he could come back from the dead, I’d still whoop his a—.”
Ahead of his cancelled bout against Rafael Dos Anjos, McGregor infamously said, “Me and Jesus are cool. I’m cool with all the gods. Gods recognize gods.”
Religion was also one of McGregor’s main angles in the heated buildup to his grudge match against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019. He repeatedly attacked his rival’s Islamic faith ahead of their meeting for the UFC lightweight strap.
In the first news conference, McGregor insulted Nurmagomedov for refusing to accept a glass of whiskey. McGregor also posted — and later deleted — X post about Nurmagomedov’s wife, stating, “Your wife is a towel mate.”
Before their meeting was booked, McGregor was famously arrested in New York for throwing a dolly at a bus that contained Nurmagomedov and other fighters at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As a result, he served five days of court-mandated community service at two New York churches.
While Pastor Clive Neil Sr. praised McGregor’s character as he cleaned their chapel and spent time with the congregation, it was not the end of his troubles. Apart from the bus incident, McGregor has gotten in trouble for punching an elderly man in a pub in 2019 and was found liable for assault by rape in a case that was settled in 2024.
After dominantly losing to Nurmagomedov, McGregor showed a more humble demeanor in his return against Donald Cerrone and first rematch with Poirier. However, when the trilogy was set, McGregor went back to his brash ways after accusing Poirier of “disrespecting a man’s kindness and taking it as weakness.”
Road to return
Sidelined by injury, McGregor took on the endeavor of being a promoter. In 2024, he became a part-owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. That same year, his supposed return in the UFC against Michael Chandler was announced. However, McGregor pulled out of the contest with a toe injury.
To mark his July 11 return, McGregor will face another familiar foe in Holloway. Going by the moniker “Blessed,” the Hawaiian fighter is equally open about his Christian faith as McGregor. The two first met early in their careers in 2013 when McGregor bested Holloway in a unanimous decision that helped launch his legendary run.
While McGregor has been away, Holloway remained active and found success in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions. The pair will headline UFC 329 as a culmination of International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
As fans eagerly awaited his return, McGregor kept the masses entertained with his work as a promoter. It was during this time that the MMA star appeared to take a sharp turn into his religious side. Asked about the relationship between his life and work at BKFC ahead of a card in Italy, McGregor left the press room in silence with his answer.
“I’m not here just by chance,” McGregor said. “There is a higher power — God — that dictates my journey and all of our journeys. And I live my life by God’s Word.”
He added: “Since around that time that you mentioned, at the last event, I’ve engaged on a spiritual journey, and I’ve been saved. I’m saved. I am healed,” he added. “The world is in for a treat. My competitive spark that was once in my heart is now a roaring blaze. So I’m very excited.”
Following an event in Newark, N.J., McGregor admitted how his rise to fame broke him.
“I wouldn't be the first to tell you, it almost broke me,” he told reporters. “To be honest, maybe it did break me as I went on and achieved massive success and global, otherworldly superstardom. It overcame me at times.”
He added that to “promote on its own, it's absolutely amazing. I put on a nice suit, I put on a nice watch – that's what I love to do. But don't get me wrong, I miss the fight game, and I'm excited about what’s ahead.”
Leocciano Callao is a sports writer based in New York. His work has appeared in a number of publications, including Yahoo! Sports and Sports Illustrated, where he has covered basketball, soccer and UFC. You can contact him at lmtcallao@gmail.com.