WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 I want you to picture a movie script. The opening 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:08.000 scene is gritty, it's gray, and it's cold. We're 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:11.660 in a working class suburb of Dublin. It's maybe 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:15.500 2007. The camera follows a young guy, barely 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:17.940 out of his teens, waking up at 5 a .m. in the 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:20.699 pitch black. He drags himself out of bed, puts 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.019 on these heavy work boots, and heads out to a 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.370 building site. He's a plumber's apprentice. Right. 00:00:25.449 --> 00:00:28.309 So a trade, a real job. A real job. He spends 00:00:28.309 --> 00:00:31.089 his days fixing pipes, freezing his hands off, 00:00:31.129 --> 00:00:32.950 getting yelled at by foremen. And you can just 00:00:32.950 --> 00:00:35.850 tell he absolutely hates it. And then one day 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:38.369 he just he just stops. He looks at this reliable, 00:00:38.630 --> 00:00:40.969 sensible life his parents want for him, a trade, 00:00:41.130 --> 00:00:43.649 a steady paycheck, a pension. And he just walks 00:00:43.649 --> 00:00:46.289 away. It sounds like the classic refusal of the 00:00:46.289 --> 00:00:48.609 call from the hero's journey or maybe the refusal 00:00:48.609 --> 00:00:51.409 of the ordinary world. Exactly. He quits his 00:00:51.409 --> 00:00:54.039 job to chase a dream that. To everyone in his 00:00:54.039 --> 00:00:55.780 neighborhood, you have to imagine it looked completely 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.200 delusional. He decides he's going to be a professional 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.399 fighter. And not just a fighter. No, not just 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:02.439 a fighter. He tells everyone who will listen 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:05.760 with this absolute conviction that he is going 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:07.980 to be the king. And the incredible thing is that 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:11.140 for a solid decade, reality actually bent to 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:13.620 his will. It's bizarre. It did. It played out 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:16.219 exactly like the first act of a blockbuster movie. 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:18.640 He goes from walking into the post office to 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:20.859 collect social welfare checks. I mean, literally 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:23.079 living on the dole. It's almost. unbelievable, 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:26.620 that detail. To selling out Madison Square Garden. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.640 He becomes the first fighter in UFC history to 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:31.920 hold two championship belts at the same time. 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:34.540 He fights the greatest boxer of his generation 00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:36.620 and pockets something like a hundred million 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:39.959 dollars in a single night. It is the ultimate 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:42.400 rags to riches story. But here's the thing about 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.620 movies based on real life. They don't always 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:48.519 end when the credits roll on the triumph. If 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.099 this whole story is a movie, it shifted genres. 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.959 It started as Rocky. Yeah. Turned into The Wolf 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:55.659 of Wall Street. And then somewhere along the 00:01:55.659 --> 00:01:58.180 line, it just began to look like a tragedy. That 00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:00.140 is exactly what we are here to unpack today. 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:02.879 We are doing a deep dive into the life, the career, 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:05.780 and the incredibly turbulent fall of Conor the 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:07.980 Notorious McGregor. And frankly, looking at where 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:11.110 we are right now. In January 2026, the picture 00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:14.550 is just so complicated. It really is. We have 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:17.610 a figure who is arguably the most famous Irishman 00:02:17.610 --> 00:02:20.729 of the 21st century, but who has also become, 00:02:20.849 --> 00:02:24.150 well, a pariah in many circles. It is a study 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:27.330 in extreme dichotomy. On one side, you have the 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:30.469 athlete who... completely revolutionized the 00:02:30.469 --> 00:02:32.770 economics of mixed martial arts. I mean, he didn't 00:02:32.770 --> 00:02:34.590 just play the game. He changed how the game was 00:02:34.590 --> 00:02:36.590 sold. For sure. And then on the other side, you 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:39.610 have a man plagued by legal issues, assault convictions, 00:02:39.689 --> 00:02:42.969 and a very, very serious civil rape verdict that 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:46.569 came down in late 2024, not to mention a disastrous 00:02:46.569 --> 00:02:49.590 attempt to enter politics just last year. So 00:02:49.590 --> 00:02:51.669 the mission for this deep dive is to connect 00:02:51.669 --> 00:02:54.150 those dots. How did we get from the plumber in 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:56.780 Kremlin to the champ champ? And then how did 00:02:56.780 --> 00:02:59.599 we get from there to the man who was throwing 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.259 dollies at buses and getting suspended for drug 00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:04.520 testing failures? And we should probably establish 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:07.180 the context right now. As we're speaking, McGregor 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:09.680 is serving an 18 month suspension. He's actually 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.819 eligible to return to the cage in March 2026. 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:14.740 So just a couple of months from now. But the 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:17.039 baggage he's carrying into this potential return 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:19.580 is heavier than it has ever been. I mean, it's 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:22.000 a mountain of baggage. OK, let's rewind then. 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:24.400 Let's go all the way back to the beginning. Before 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:27.479 the yachts, before the Lamborghinis. We're in 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:32.520 Crumlin, Dublin, born in 1988. Parents Tony and 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:35.699 Margaret. Right. And Tony's a Liverpool man originally, 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:38.120 actually. It's a very working class upbringing. 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.719 And like a lot of fighters' stories, McGregor's 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:44.560 starts with self -defense. He wasn't looking 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:46.560 for glory initially. He was just looking for 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:48.719 a bit of safety. So it wasn't about being a champion 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.740 from day one. No, not at all. He took up boxing 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:54.379 at 12 years old at the Crumlin Boxing Club because 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:56.340 he was dealing with bullies. He just wanted some 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.939 confidence. Which is fascinating because confidence 00:03:58.939 --> 00:04:01.419 is practically his middle name now. But back 00:04:01.419 --> 00:04:03.919 then, he was just a kid trying to not get pushed 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.479 around. The family moves to Lucan when he's about 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:09.240 13, and that's where the real world starts to 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:11.300 intrude. Right. His parents want him to have 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:13.840 a trade. The skill. So the plumbing apprenticeship 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:16.279 begins. And this is such a pivotal moment. He 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:18.879 did it for about a year, but he described it 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:21.600 as just miserable. Long hours, zero interest, 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.540 the damp, the cold. And this is where you see 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.540 that first spark of, I don't know, unmitigated 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:30.959 ambition or maybe just stubbornness. I think 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.600 it's a bit of both. He quit. Against his parents' 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:35.519 hesitation, his father was reportedly furious 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:39.040 about it. He quit to pursue MMA full -time. He 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:41.720 met Tom Egan, who would also become a UFC fighter, 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:43.899 and eventually found his way to John Kavanaugh 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:46.639 at SBG Ireland's Straight Blast Gym. And Kavanaugh 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:48.759 is such a huge part of the story. He's the Yoda 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:51.300 to McGregor's Luke Skywalker, you know? He really 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:53.720 is. But it wasn't a straight shot to stardom, 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:55.899 not by any means. There's this detail I always 00:04:55.899 --> 00:04:59.379 love. Right before his UFC debut in 2013, McGregor 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:01.529 was collecting social welfare. The dull checks. 00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:04.290 The rags to riches narrative is very, very real 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:06.810 here. He had something like 188 euros to his 00:05:06.810 --> 00:05:09.709 name. But he wasn't a total novice. He'd had 00:05:09.709 --> 00:05:12.149 success in Europe first, fighting for a promotion 00:05:12.149 --> 00:05:14.470 called Cage Warriors. And this is really important, 00:05:14.610 --> 00:05:16.350 isn't it? What he did there. It's the blueprint. 00:05:17.089 --> 00:05:19.910 In Cage Warriors, he won the featherweight title 00:05:19.910 --> 00:05:21.810 and then he moved up and won the lightweight 00:05:21.810 --> 00:05:24.670 title. He held them simultaneously. He had already 00:05:24.670 --> 00:05:27.649 done in the minor leagues exactly what he promised 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:29.569 everyone he would do in the major leagues. So 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:33.250 2013 rolls around. Dana White, the UFC president, 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:35.589 he visits Dublin to get an award from Trinity 00:05:35.589 --> 00:05:38.389 College. And apparently he gets flooded with 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:41.170 people telling him, you have to sign this McGregor 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:43.149 kid. Everyone's talking about him. He meets him, 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:46.029 talks to him, and boom, he gets a contract. And 00:05:46.029 --> 00:05:49.829 the debut happens in April 2013 against Marcus 00:05:49.829 --> 00:05:53.629 Brimage. 60 G's baby? Exactly. He knocks Brimage 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:56.389 out in the first round. It wasn't just a win. 00:05:56.449 --> 00:05:58.790 It was a demolition. He grabs the microphone 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:00.889 and screams for the knockout of the night bonus. 00:06:01.230 --> 00:06:03.709 That one moment just encapsulated everything. 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:06.110 It did. The skill was obviously there. The technical 00:06:06.110 --> 00:06:08.709 skill was there. He has that southpaw stance, 00:06:08.970 --> 00:06:11.589 the constant pressure, and that incredible pullback 00:06:11.589 --> 00:06:14.209 left hand, which is just his most dangerous weapon. 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:16.540 OK, wait, can you explain that pullback for people 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:18.680 who, you know, maybe aren't fight nerds? What 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.019 does that actually mean? Sure. Yeah. McGregor 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:23.600 fights southpaw. So that means his right hand 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.759 is forward and his power hand, the left, is in 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:28.720 the back. Most people fight orthodox with their 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:30.680 left forward. Right. So it creates a different 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:32.879 kind of angle. It creates what's called an open 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:35.339 stance where both fighters are a bit more vulnerable. 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:40.420 And what McGregor had was this this almost supernatural 00:06:40.420 --> 00:06:43.319 ability to judge distance. He would lean his 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:46.350 head forward. baiting you daring you to take 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:48.649 a swing at him he's setting a trap he's setting 00:06:48.649 --> 00:06:51.269 a trap and when you did swing he would lean his 00:06:51.269 --> 00:06:53.569 head back just enough to make you miss by an 00:06:53.569 --> 00:06:55.990 inch and while you were overextended from your 00:06:55.990 --> 00:06:59.009 punch he would fire that left hand straight down 00:06:59.009 --> 00:07:02.199 the pipe it was like a piston So he wasn't just 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:04.740 brawling. He was sniping. He was a counter -striker. 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:06.860 A precision counter -striker. And he just tore 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:08.680 through the division. He won fight after fight. 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:11.500 But the psychological aspect was just as heavy 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:13.899 as the physical one. He would trash -talk opponents 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:16.199 until they were angry, they were emotional, and 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.399 they started making mistakes. He weaponized language. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:21.199 He absolutely did. People compared him to Muhammad 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:23.980 Ali, though he did, to his credit, respectfully 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:26.779 say Ali was special and sort of rejected the 00:07:26.779 --> 00:07:29.540 direct comparison. But the method was similar. 00:07:30.009 --> 00:07:32.209 Break them mentally before the bell even rings. 00:07:32.290 --> 00:07:33.970 Make them fight your fight. Make them fight on 00:07:33.970 --> 00:07:36.889 emotion while he fought on cold, hard calculation. 00:07:37.350 --> 00:07:40.449 Which brings us to the peak, the absolute zenith 00:07:40.449 --> 00:07:44.529 of the notorious era, 2015 and 2016. The Jose 00:07:44.529 --> 00:07:49.310 Aldo fight at UFC 194, December 2015. This still 00:07:49.310 --> 00:07:51.230 blows my mind every time I think about it. Jose 00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:53.209 Aldo hadn't lost a fight in 10 years. He was 00:07:53.209 --> 00:07:55.170 the undisputed king of the featherweights. And 00:07:55.170 --> 00:07:57.470 McGregor spends months just tormenting him on 00:07:57.470 --> 00:07:59.899 a world tour. Oh, it was brutal. They go to Rio, 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.759 Aldo's home turf. They go to Dublin. McGregor 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.019 is snatching his belt at press conferences. He's 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:07.300 speaking Portuguese just to taunt him. He's inside 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:09.819 his head. The UFC spent more money promoting 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:12.040 that fight than any in its history up to that 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.199 point. The tension was just unbearable. Aldo 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.019 was arguably the greatest pound -for -pound fighter 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:20.060 on the planet. And then the fight starts. And 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:23.029 13 seconds later, it's over. One punch, it's 00:08:23.029 --> 00:08:25.769 all it took. Aldo, who was usually so patient 00:08:25.769 --> 00:08:28.750 and calculated, he lunged in. He was emotional. 00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:31.910 McGregor hit that slip left hook while moving 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:34.809 backward. It was perfect. Fastest finish in UFC 00:08:34.809 --> 00:08:37.129 title fight history. He didn't just beat the 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:39.950 unbeatable champion, he evaporated him. That 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:41.750 was the moment Conor McGregor went from being 00:08:41.750 --> 00:08:45.269 a UFC star to a global superstar. It wasn't just 00:08:45.269 --> 00:08:47.600 sports anymore, it felt like magic. But then 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:50.840 we get the first stumble, which I think paradoxically 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:53.820 actually made him bigger. The Nate Diaz rivalry. 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:57.259 Yes. March 2016. McGregor is supposed to fight 00:08:57.259 --> 00:08:59.360 for the lightweight belt, but his opponent, Rafael 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:01.980 dos Anjos, pulls out with a broken foot. Right. 00:09:02.059 --> 00:09:04.220 Short notice. Very short notice. Nate Diaz steps 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:06.779 in. But Diaz says he can't make the lightweight 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:10.139 limit, so the fight is at welterweight, 170 pounds. 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:12.960 And that's a huge jump for McGregor. It's a massive 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.500 jump. He had just fought at 145 pounds against 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:17.480 Aldo. He's moving up two weight classes. And 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:19.580 he loses. He hits Diaz with everything he has 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:21.259 in that first round, but Diaz is like a zombie. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:24.340 He just keeps coming forward, bleeding, talking 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:27.940 trash. And Conor gases out. He gets tired. Diaz 00:09:27.940 --> 00:09:30.399 rocks him on the feet and then chokes him out 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:32.059 on the ground in the second round. He taps out. 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:35.120 He does. And afterward, he gave that famous quote, 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:38.419 I was inefficient with my energy. But instead 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:40.759 of hiding or going back down and wait where it 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:44.080 was safe, he became completely obsessed. He demanded 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:46.519 an immediate rematch. At the same weight? At 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:48.039 the exact same weight. He had to correct the 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:49.759 air. He couldn't let it stand. Which happened 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:53.120 at UFC 202. And that fight, I mean, it was a 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.679 war. It was five rounds of pure attrition. Back 00:09:56.679 --> 00:09:59.159 and forth. McGregor knocks him down a few times 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:01.700 early. Diaz comes back strong late. McGregor 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:03.659 wins a very close majority decision. But look 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:05.899 at the business side of it. Those two Diaz fights 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:09.179 broke pay -per -view records. 1 .3 million buys 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:11.840 for the first one. 1 .6 million for the rematch. 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:14.419 He proved he could lose and still be the biggest 00:10:14.419 --> 00:10:16.320 draw in the entire sport. Bigger than ever, in 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.399 fact. And that set the stage for UFC 205. New 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.940 York City, Madison Square Garden, November 2016. 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.179 This was historic. The UFC had fought for years, 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:29.259 for decades, to get MMA legalized in New York. 00:10:29.539 --> 00:10:32.919 And McGregor headlines the very first card at 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:35.759 the world's most famous arena. He's fighting 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:37.799 Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title. And 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.960 this is widely considered his masterpiece performance, 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:44.080 isn't it? It's his masterclass. He dropped Alvarez 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:46.440 multiple times. It wasn't even close. He looked 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:48.299 like he was in the Matrix, just untouchable. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:51.399 He won via TKO in the second round. And there 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:53.679 he was sitting on top of the cage, one belt on 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:56.019 one shoulder, one belt on the other. The first 00:10:56.019 --> 00:10:58.820 simultaneous two division champion in UFC history. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:02.799 The champ champs. He'd climb the mountain. He 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:04.179 did exactly what he said he was going to do from 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:06.759 the plumbing site to that moment. But this is 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:08.779 where the story shifts gears, because once you've 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.409 conquered the UFC, where do you go next? You 00:11:11.409 --> 00:11:13.509 go where the money is. And that led directly 00:11:13.509 --> 00:11:16.669 to the money fight in 2017 against Floyd Mayweather. 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:18.309 This was, I mean, it was a circus, but it was 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:20.549 a glorious circus. You have an MMA fighter with 00:11:20.549 --> 00:11:22.990 a professional boxing record of 0 -0 challenging 00:11:22.990 --> 00:11:25.809 Floyd Mayweather, who is 49 -0 and arguably the 00:11:25.809 --> 00:11:27.970 greatest defensive boxer of all time. From a 00:11:27.970 --> 00:11:30.009 pure sporting perspective, it was audacious, 00:11:30.190 --> 00:11:33.289 bordering on ridiculous. It's like a world -class 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:36.090 tennis player challenging a world -class ping 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:38.850 -pong champion to a match of ping -pong. That's 00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:40.970 a great analogy. But from an economic perspective, 00:11:41.269 --> 00:11:45.250 it was absolute genius. It generated 4 .3 million 00:11:45.250 --> 00:11:48.909 pay -per -view buys in the U .S. alone, the second 00:11:48.909 --> 00:11:52.009 highest of all time, only behind Mayweather Pacquiao. 00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:54.169 And the payout, I still can't wrap my head around 00:11:54.169 --> 00:11:56.669 it. McGregor was guaranteed $30 million, but 00:11:56.669 --> 00:11:58.509 reports say he walked away with something like 00:11:58.509 --> 00:12:01.409 $130 million when you factor in everything else. 00:12:01.549 --> 00:12:04.820 And Mayweather made about $280 million. It's 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:07.100 just monopoly money at that point. And in the 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.059 ring, McGregor actually exceeded expectations. 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:11.639 He did. He won the first few rounds on some scorecards. 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:14.299 He landed clean shots early on before Mayweather, 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:16.120 you know, being the master that he is, adjusted, 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:18.700 tired him out, and TKO'd him in the 10th round. 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:21.419 But McGregor didn't lose stock. He gained generational 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:23.860 wealth. He secured the bag. And that wealth allowed 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:26.559 him to build the empire. This is where he pivots 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:28.539 from being an athlete to being a full -blown 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:30.759 mogul. And we have to talk about the whiskey. 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:36.289 Proper, no, 12. Launched in 2018, named after 00:12:36.289 --> 00:12:39.289 his Dublin postal code, Dublin 12. And it just 00:12:39.289 --> 00:12:41.149 flew off the shelves. People were buying it just 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:43.490 because it was his. It wasn't about the taste, 00:12:43.629 --> 00:12:45.970 which let's say it got mixed reviews. It was 00:12:45.970 --> 00:12:48.559 about the brand. It was marketing power. at its 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:51.779 absolute finest. He forced the UFC to put the 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:54.059 logo on the canvas during his fights. He was 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.159 drinking it at press conferences. He made it 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.159 part of his identity. But there is a sour note 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.440 here, too, isn't there? The lawsuit. Yeah, his 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:03.460 teammate and friend, Artem Lobov, the guy who 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:06.159 was central to so many of McGregor's beefs and 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:10.120 rivalries, later sued McGregor. Lobov claimed 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:12.840 the whole whiskey brand was his idea, that he 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:15.460 did the initial research and he wanted 5 % of 00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:17.360 the proceeds. And what happened with that? Lobov 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:19.360 lost the injunction, right? He did. The court 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:21.759 sided with McGregor, and then McGregor went on 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:23.919 to sell the majority stake to Proximo Spirits 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:26.840 in 2021 for a deal that was worth up to $600 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:32.090 million. $600 million. It's a staggering business 00:13:32.090 --> 00:13:34.230 success. He essentially printed money with that 00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:36.450 brand. He also started buying pubs in Dublin, 00:13:36.710 --> 00:13:40.330 the Black Forge Inn in his home area of Crumlin, 00:13:40.490 --> 00:13:43.409 which he renovated into this high -end gastropub, 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:46.289 and also the Marble Arch. And the Marble Arch 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:49.389 purchase is, well, it's telling, isn't it? That 00:13:49.389 --> 00:13:53.070 was the very pub where, in 2019, McGregor assaulted 00:13:53.070 --> 00:13:56.409 an older man who refused a free shot of his whiskey. 00:13:56.809 --> 00:13:59.029 So he bought the pub where he committed the assault. 00:13:59.210 --> 00:14:01.490 It feels like a power move, just asserting dominance 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:03.990 over the scene of a crime. It's like saying you 00:14:03.990 --> 00:14:05.629 wouldn't drink my whiskey. Now I own the chair 00:14:05.629 --> 00:14:07.289 you're sitting on. It's very strange. And we'll 00:14:07.289 --> 00:14:09.309 get into the legal stuff more deeply in a bit. 00:14:09.350 --> 00:14:11.590 But it's worth noting that the Black Forge Inn 00:14:11.590 --> 00:14:14.789 was also the site of a fire in July 2025. Yes, 00:14:14.809 --> 00:14:17.149 a fire that was treated as suspicious by the 00:14:17.149 --> 00:14:20.360 Gardaí, the Irish police. No casualties, thankfully, 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:22.559 but it shows that his presence in Dublin started 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:25.919 bringing chaos, not just business. Molotov cocktails 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.779 were reportedly found at the scene. He suggests 00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:30.779 that while he was incredibly rich, he wasn't 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:32.799 exactly popular in his own hometown anymore. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.399 He also got into fashion with a brand called 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.059 August McGregor and recently became a part owner 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:41.240 of BKFC, the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:44.250 And of course... Hollywood came calling. He was 00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:46.370 in the Roadhouse remake with Jake Gyllenhaal 00:14:46.370 --> 00:14:49.730 in 2024. Playing a villain, which is a... Essentially 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:52.490 playing a version of himself. But while the bank 00:14:52.490 --> 00:14:55.250 account was exploding, the fighting career, the 00:14:55.250 --> 00:14:57.879 very thing that built all of this... It started 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:00.460 to rot. And that brings us to Section 3, the 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:02.740 sporting decline. After the Mayweather fight, 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:05.720 he takes a long break from MMA. But when he comes 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.179 back to the UFC in 2018, the landscape has completely 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:13.720 changed. There's a new king in town, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:16.779 And this rivalry was toxic. It went so far beyond 00:15:16.779 --> 00:15:20.120 normal trash talk. It got into religion, nationality, 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:22.639 family. And you can't talk about this fight without 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:24.419 first talking about the bus attack in Brooklyn 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:27.750 in April 2018. Right. McGregor and his crew, 00:15:27.830 --> 00:15:29.970 they fly to New York, storm the Barclays Center 00:15:29.970 --> 00:15:32.690 during a media day, and McGregor throws a metal 00:15:32.690 --> 00:15:34.789 dolly through the window of a bus carrying fighters 00:15:34.789 --> 00:15:36.629 because he was looking for Khabib. People were 00:15:36.629 --> 00:15:39.649 injured. Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg had to be 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:41.490 pulled from their fights because they got shards 00:15:41.490 --> 00:15:44.149 of glass in their eyes. Rose Namajunas, another 00:15:44.149 --> 00:15:46.690 champion, was reportedly traumatized by the whole 00:15:46.690 --> 00:15:48.710 thing. This wasn't promotion. This was criminal 00:15:48.710 --> 00:15:52.710 behavior. It was. He pled no contest to disorderly 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:55.850 conduct. But the UFC, in a very controversial 00:15:55.850 --> 00:15:59.090 move, used that exact footage to promote the 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:02.870 fight at UFC 229. It became the Eagle versus 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:05.649 the Notorious, the biggest fight in UFC history. 00:16:05.809 --> 00:16:08.210 And the fight itself. It was a mauling. Plain 00:16:08.210 --> 00:16:10.529 and simple. Khabib dominated him. He dropped 00:16:10.529 --> 00:16:12.929 McGregor with a punch, which surprised everyone 00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:15.250 because Khabib is known as a wrestler. And then 00:16:15.250 --> 00:16:17.230 he submitted him with a neck crank in the fourth 00:16:17.230 --> 00:16:19.769 round. He looked... Mortal. He looked like a 00:16:19.769 --> 00:16:22.090 guy who hadn't fought in a real MMA cage for 00:16:22.090 --> 00:16:24.110 two years and had spent that time on yachts, 00:16:24.110 --> 00:16:26.190 not in the gym. And then the post -fight brawl 00:16:26.190 --> 00:16:29.169 happened. Complete chaos. Khabib jumped the cage 00:16:29.169 --> 00:16:32.100 to go after McGregor's corner. McGregor was inside 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:34.240 the cage fighting Khabib's teammates. It was 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.379 the absolute stain on the sport. Both of them 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:38.559 got suspended. That really felt like the turning 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:41.100 point, didn't it? The aura of invincibility was 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:44.340 just gone. Completely shattered. He did return 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:47.360 in 2020 to fight Donald Cowboy Cerrone. He looked 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:49.960 great, knocked him out in 40 seconds with these 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:52.600 unusual shoulder strikes and a head kick. He 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:55.100 became the first fighter to have KO wins in three 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:57.399 different divisions, right? Featherweight, lightweight, 00:16:57.580 --> 00:16:59.639 and welterweight. He did. It was an impressive 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.269 record. But Cerrone was at the very end of his 00:17:02.269 --> 00:17:05.150 career. It was, in hindsight, a bit of a false 00:17:05.150 --> 00:17:08.009 dawn. Because then came the Dustin Poirier trilogy 00:17:08.009 --> 00:17:11.410 in 2021. Right. And Poirier was a guy McGregor 00:17:11.410 --> 00:17:14.130 had beaten very easily back in 2014 on his way 00:17:14.130 --> 00:17:17.049 up. But the 2021 version of Dustin Poirier was 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.490 a whole different animal. What happened in that 00:17:19.490 --> 00:17:22.789 second fight? In January 2021, Poirier utilized 00:17:22.789 --> 00:17:26.289 these brutal calf kicks to completely immobilize 00:17:26.289 --> 00:17:28.950 McGregor's lead leg. And then once McGregor was 00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:31.069 a stationary target, he knocked him out in the 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:33.029 second round. It was the first time McGregor 00:17:33.029 --> 00:17:35.250 had ever been knocked out cold in his MMA career. 00:17:35.490 --> 00:17:37.670 That image of him just sitting against the fence 00:17:37.670 --> 00:17:40.970 looking bewildered, it was jarring to see. And 00:17:40.970 --> 00:17:44.470 then the third fight, July 2021. The leg break. 00:17:44.789 --> 00:17:47.109 In the first round, McGregor stepped back on 00:17:47.109 --> 00:17:49.829 his own leg and his lower tibia just snapped. 00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:53.210 The bone broke. The fight was stopped. A TKO 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:56.380 via doctor stoppage. Yes. But even then, while 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:58.099 he was sitting on the canvas with a broken leg, 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.619 he was screaming threats at Poirier and his wife. 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.619 It was just ugly. There was no grace in it. And 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:05.960 he hasn't fought since. That was in mid -2021. 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.619 We are now in January 2026. Well, he tried to. 00:18:10.029 --> 00:18:11.970 He coached the Ultimate Fighter television show 00:18:11.970 --> 00:18:14.710 against Michael Chandler in 2023. They were scheduled 00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:18.369 to fight in June 2024 at UFC 303. But then just 00:18:18.369 --> 00:18:20.049 a couple of weeks before the fight. McGregor 00:18:20.049 --> 00:18:22.130 pulled out with a broken toe. A broken toe. Yeah. 00:18:22.289 --> 00:18:24.329 After years away. And then a few months later 00:18:24.329 --> 00:18:27.309 came the official suspension. October 7th, 2025. 00:18:27.890 --> 00:18:30.569 And what was that for exactly? He failed to disclose 00:18:30.569 --> 00:18:32.569 his whereabouts for drug testing three times 00:18:32.569 --> 00:18:35.910 in 2024. It's a clear violation of the anti -doping 00:18:35.910 --> 00:18:38.619 policy. The rules are clear. You have to let 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:40.799 them know where you are at all times so they 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:43.559 can show up and test you randomly. He didn't. 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:45.640 And the punishment. An 18 -month suspension, 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:48.859 retroactive to the time of the third failure. 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:51.400 So he's sitting on the sidelines until March 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:54.960 2026. So we have a completely stalled career. 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:58.279 But while the fighting stopped, the trouble didn't. 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:00.359 In fact, you could argue the trouble accelerated. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:03.480 And we really need to go into the dark side of 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.900 this story. The legal battles. It's a very clear 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:09.000 pattern of behavior, and it's been escalating 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:11.500 for years. We've mentioned the driving offenses, 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:15.000 multiple speeding fines, disqualifications. In 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:18.039 July 2024, he got a five -month suspended sentence 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:21.059 and a two -year driving ban for dangerous driving. 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.200 This was in his Bentley, right? Yeah, driving 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:25.200 at high speeds, weaving in and out of traffic 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:27.799 on the motorway. Just reckless. And the aggression 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:30.220 isn't just behind the wheel. Remember that incident 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:33.240 at Bellator 187 in 2017? Oh, yeah. He wasn't 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:35.740 even fighting. He jumped the cage to celebrate 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:37.779 with a teammate, got into it with the referee, 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:40.220 Marc Goddard, pushed him, and then slapped the 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:41.519 commissioner who was trying to get him out of 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:43.480 there. Then the bus attack we already covered. 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:46.039 Then the pub punching an older man in the head 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:48.099 because he wouldn't drink the free whiskey. He 00:19:48.099 --> 00:19:51.259 pled guilty to that assault, was fined 1 ,000 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:54.289 euro. which, you know, seems trivial in terms 00:19:54.289 --> 00:19:56.569 of the punishment for a man that wealthy. But 00:19:56.569 --> 00:19:59.410 the PR damage was massive. It made him look like 00:19:59.410 --> 00:20:01.630 a common bully. And then there was the bizarre 00:20:01.630 --> 00:20:04.269 incident with the Miami Heat mascot in 2023. 00:20:04.730 --> 00:20:07.049 I still can't believe that happened. It was supposed 00:20:07.049 --> 00:20:10.230 to be a preplanned skit during a timeout to promote 00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:12.430 a pain relief spray he was endorsing. And what? 00:20:12.509 --> 00:20:14.970 He just took it too far? He punched the mascot, 00:20:15.130 --> 00:20:19.089 who was a real person in a suit. so hard that 00:20:19.089 --> 00:20:21.150 the man had to go to the ER. It's like he doesn't 00:20:21.150 --> 00:20:22.750 have an off switch. Everything has to be dialed 00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:25.049 up to 11. It sounds almost like slapstick comedy 00:20:25.049 --> 00:20:27.130 until you realize real people are getting hurt. 00:20:27.269 --> 00:20:30.470 But those incidents, they really pale in comparison 00:20:30.470 --> 00:20:33.170 to the sexual assault allegations. And we need 00:20:33.170 --> 00:20:35.049 to be very precise here, just sticking to the 00:20:35.049 --> 00:20:37.609 facts as they were presented in court and credible 00:20:37.609 --> 00:20:40.450 reports. Yes. This is the gravest part of his 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:42.809 entire recent history. There have been multiple 00:20:42.809 --> 00:20:45.049 allegations over the years, an incident in Corsica, 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:47.069 another in Ibiza, which didn't lead to criminal 00:20:47.069 --> 00:20:49.529 convictions. A woman jumped from his yacht in 00:20:49.529 --> 00:20:52.410 one case. But the case that truly changed everything 00:20:52.410 --> 00:20:55.349 was the Nikita Hand case. That's right. This 00:20:55.349 --> 00:20:58.769 was a civil trial in Dublin in late 2024. Tell 00:20:58.769 --> 00:21:01.970 us about it. Nikita Hand alleged that McGregor 00:21:01.970 --> 00:21:04.250 had raped her in a Dublin hotel room back in 00:21:04.250 --> 00:21:08.130 December 2018. A civil jury heard all the evidence 00:21:08.130 --> 00:21:11.450 in November 2024. And their verdict was that 00:21:11.450 --> 00:21:13.529 they found, on the balance of probabilities, 00:21:13.910 --> 00:21:16.490 that McGregor had assaulted and raped her. So 00:21:16.490 --> 00:21:18.109 just to be clear for everyone listening, that 00:21:18.109 --> 00:21:20.250 is a civil verdict, which has a different legal 00:21:20.250 --> 00:21:22.349 standard. It's based on the balance of probabilities 00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:25.390 rather than the criminal standard of beyond a 00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:27.710 reasonable doubt. That is the crucial legal distinction, 00:21:27.930 --> 00:21:30.250 yes. But the public and commercial impact was 00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:33.150 absolutely seismic. The jury ordered him to pay 00:21:33.150 --> 00:21:36.750 about €248 ,000 in damages to Ms. Hand. And that 00:21:36.750 --> 00:21:39.400 wasn't all, was it? No. Later, the judge ordered 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:41.740 him to pay her legal costs, which were estimated 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:44.759 to be around $1 .5 million. McGregor, of course, 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.420 appealed. But he lost those appeals in July and 00:21:47.420 --> 00:21:50.779 December of 2025. The Supreme Court refused to 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:53.400 even hear a further appeal. The verdict stands. 00:21:53.740 --> 00:21:55.740 And during that trial, some very damaging details 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:58.099 came out about his lifestyle. Very damaging. 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:01.160 McGregor admitted to cocaine use during the trial. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:03.599 And the commercial fallout was immediate and 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:05.700 devastating. This wasn't like the bus attack 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:08.619 where sponsors kind of stayed quiet because bad 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:11.240 publicity is still publicity. This was radio 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:14.119 silence. So who dropped him? Who walked away? 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:17.359 Almost everyone. IO Interactive, the video game 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:19.700 company, removed him as a downloadable target 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:22.819 from their Hitman game. Major supermarket chains 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:26.160 in Ireland, Tesco. Super Value delisted his alcohol 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:29.599 brands. The pub chain Weatherspoon stopped selling 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:32.180 his forged Irish stout. And what about the whiskey, 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:34.859 the brand he built? This is perhaps the most 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:38.180 personal blow. Proximo Spirits, the company that 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:40.019 paid him hundreds of millions for proper no, 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:42.799 12, announced they would no longer be using his 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:45.319 name or his image in association with the brand. 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:47.900 Wow. So the brand that he built that literally 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:50.940 carries his neighborhood's postal code. basically 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:53.059 erased him from their own product. That's the 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:55.380 reality. The brand had become toxic. They made 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:57.480 a business calculation that they could sell the 00:22:57.480 --> 00:22:59.180 whiskey better without Conor McGregor's face 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:01.200 on it. And there was another case in Miami too, 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:05.140 right? During the NBA Finals in 2023. Yes. An 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.380 allegation of sexual assault in a men's bathroom 00:23:07.380 --> 00:23:10.359 during a game. The criminal case was eventually 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:12.720 dropped due to insufficient evidence and some 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:15.480 witness issues, but a new civil suit was filed 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:19.509 against him in January of 2025. So the legal 00:23:19.509 --> 00:23:21.569 battles are not over. And speaking of his behavior, 00:23:21.710 --> 00:23:24.349 we can't ignore the bizarre social media stuff. 00:23:24.430 --> 00:23:27.289 The online exchange with the musician Azalea 00:23:27.289 --> 00:23:30.130 Banks involving photos. Mutual unsolicited photos, 00:23:30.470 --> 00:23:32.609 according to the reports at the time. It just 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:35.230 paints a picture of a chaotic, unmoored, and 00:23:35.230 --> 00:23:37.609 frankly quite sordid lifestyle. He seems to be 00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:40.519 a man without any guardrails at all. So you have 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.599 the situation. His reputation is in tatters. 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:44.579 His fighting career is on hold. His business 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:46.819 partners are fleeing. What does Conor McGregor 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:49.220 do? He pivots to politics. And this might be 00:23:49.220 --> 00:23:51.160 the most surreal chapter of the entire story. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:55.559 In late 2023, after a very serious stabbing incident 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:58.660 in Dublin sparked riots, McGregor took to X, 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:01.380 which was formerly Twitter. And what did he say? 00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:04.410 He tweeted, Ireland is at war. He started posting 00:24:04.410 --> 00:24:07.849 very strong, very inflammatory anti -immigration 00:24:07.849 --> 00:24:09.750 sentiments. And he was actually investigated 00:24:09.750 --> 00:24:12.029 for incitement to hatred for that, wasn't he? 00:24:12.190 --> 00:24:15.210 He was, although it was announced in March 2025 00:24:15.210 --> 00:24:18.230 that no charges would ultimately be filed. But 00:24:18.230 --> 00:24:21.029 he leaned into it. He seemed to find a new audience, 00:24:21.190 --> 00:24:23.529 or at least he thought he did. and he announced 00:24:23.529 --> 00:24:25.470 he wanted to run for president of Ireland in 00:24:25.470 --> 00:24:28.029 the 2025 election. President McGregor, it sounded 00:24:28.029 --> 00:24:29.849 like a skit from Saturday Night Live. What was 00:24:29.849 --> 00:24:32.250 his platform? What was he running on? It was 00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:34.569 described by political commentators as national 00:24:34.569 --> 00:24:38.650 populist, and in some cases, far right. He focused... 00:24:38.809 --> 00:24:41.029 almost entirely on anti -immigration rhetoric. 00:24:41.269 --> 00:24:44.089 He positioned himself as the strong man, the 00:24:44.089 --> 00:24:47.609 defender of the true Irish. But this is where 00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:50.730 the notorious echo chamber of social media met 00:24:50.730 --> 00:24:53.220 the hard reality of public opinion. The polls. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.099 How did he do? Terribly. He consistently polled 00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:59.200 around 7 % or 8%. And crucially, something like 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.960 89 % or 90 % of respondents in those polls said 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.819 they would not vote for him under any circumstances. 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:06.660 He had high name recognition, of course, but 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:08.759 incredibly high negative ratings. He launched 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:11.759 a petition at one point too, right? Yes. In August 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:15.160 of 2025. He tried to challenge the nomination 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:17.759 rules because he couldn't get the support from 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:20.079 local councils or members of the Oryaktas, the 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:21.900 Irish parliament, that you need to get on the 00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:24.059 ballot. And eventually. He withdrew from the 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:27.859 race in September 2025, but not before a very 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:31.460 high profile and very strange moment involving 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:34.460 Donald Trump. The White House visit, March 2025. 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:37.940 St. Patrick's Day. McGregor was invited to the 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:41.099 White House by Trump. It was a bizarre scene. 00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:43.900 McGregor stood there and claimed Ireland was 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:46.559 losing its Irishness because of illegal immigration, 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:49.160 essentially using the platform of the White House 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:51.960 to attack the current Irish government. How did 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:54.579 that go down back home in Ireland? Very, very 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:56.880 poorly. The Tysich, the Irish prime minister, 00:25:56.980 --> 00:25:59.819 and other leading politicians condemned it. They 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:02.059 called his comments appalling, embarrassing, 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:05.539 and not representative of Ireland. And the irony 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:08.710 of that meeting wasn't lost on people? No. Critics 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:10.650 immediately pointed out the bitter irony of the 00:26:10.650 --> 00:26:13.190 visual. Donald Trump and Conor McGregor, two 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:15.109 men who had both been found liable for sexual 00:26:15.109 --> 00:26:17.670 assault or abuse in civil courts, shaking hands 00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:19.690 in the White House on St. Patrick's Day. It really 00:26:19.690 --> 00:26:22.250 feels like he burned the bridge to his home country. 00:26:22.450 --> 00:26:24.990 He went from being the hero wrapped in the tricolor 00:26:24.990 --> 00:26:27.509 flag at his weigh -ins to being publicly condemned 00:26:27.509 --> 00:26:30.390 by the country's leaders. It's the ultimate alienation. 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:32.839 He positioned himself as someone who could lead 00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:34.420 the country, but the country essentially told 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:36.480 him, we don't know you anymore. You don't speak 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:41.259 for us. So here we are. It's January 2026. Let's 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:44.519 try and synthesize all of this. We have a man 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:47.720 who, without a doubt, changed MMA forever. He 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:50.259 secured the bag. He created the champ champ status. 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:52.880 But he also leaves this trail of destruction 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:55.460 in his wake. If you look at the whole trajectory, 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:58.900 McGregor is the blueprint for the modern influencer 00:26:58.900 --> 00:27:01.930 fighter. He showed that attention, good or bad, 00:27:01.950 --> 00:27:04.589 monetizes. He taught a generation of fighters 00:27:04.589 --> 00:27:06.869 that being loud is often more profitable than 00:27:06.869 --> 00:27:09.289 being good. He's also a warning. He's also a 00:27:09.289 --> 00:27:11.650 massive warning label. At the end of the day, 00:27:11.710 --> 00:27:14.130 his greatest opponent wasn't Khabib or Poirier 00:27:14.130 --> 00:27:17.150 or Mayweather. It was his own inability to handle 00:27:17.150 --> 00:27:19.910 the life he built. He had no off switch. The 00:27:19.910 --> 00:27:21.829 aggression that made him rich inside the cage 00:27:21.829 --> 00:27:24.809 made him a liability outside of it. And the drug 00:27:24.809 --> 00:27:27.009 suspension is up in March, just two months away. 00:27:27.309 --> 00:27:29.960 So the big question. Will he fight again? He's 00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:33.220 eligible. But does he need the money? Probably 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:35.160 not. Although legal bills are certainly expensive. 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:38.500 Does he need the glory? Probably. But the bigger 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:41.640 question is, does the UFC need him? For a long 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:44.519 time, the answer to that was yes, at any cost. 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:47.440 But now. But now. With the sponsors dropping 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:49.200 him, with the civil rape verdict permanently 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:51.599 attached to his name. You might be too toxic 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:53.640 for even them to touch. It's a heavy question. 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:56.460 Can a legacy that was built on being the notorious 00:27:56.460 --> 00:28:00.059 survive when the notoriety shifts from being 00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:02.880 a rebellious antihero to a pariah in his own 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:06.200 country and the business world? Or has the brand 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:09.299 finally become too toxic to touch? That is the 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:11.339 question. And I think we are watching the answer 00:28:11.339 --> 00:28:13.519 play out in real time. The brand might finally 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:16.880 be broken beyond repair. A fascinating, if tragic, 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:19.920 deep dive today. From the plumbing site in Lucan 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:21.799 to... the heights of Madison Square Garden and 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:24.240 down into the courtrooms of Dublin. That is the 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:26.019 story of Conor McGregor. Thanks for listening 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:27.180 to The Deep Dive. Thank you.