One of Conor McGregor‘s many retirements saw a near confirmation this past March. With two fights in contract and negotiation talks in place, he’d say, ‘there’s something else for me,’ after a visit to the White House. Thus began the heightened talks of his ambitions for the people of Ireland and running for the presidency. While anti-immigration topped his list, the UFC dual champion was all geared up to stand up to the government. For whatever it was worth, he had a little backing, too; maybe just not the required kind. 

About a year since his announcement, and there’s a new direction to the story. Just when seeing McGregor’s name in the race, come November 11th, seemed like a possibility, he withdrew. “Following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family, I am withdrawing my candidacy,” he posted on X on Monday morning. For Chael Sonnen, that did not seem to have come as a surprise. He believes there was some harsh truth all along.

“Conor McGregor has withdrawn his pending plans to be the president of Ireland. Well, there’s one problem with that, Conor,” Sonnen said in his latest YouTube video. “You were never running for president of Ireland. You did not suspend a campaign… You don’t have a campaign.”

McGregor had his set of __ worked out for his candidacy. The first of them was to oppose the new European Union migration pact, which dealt with asylum-seeking migrants in the union. He’d follow it up with his support for anti-immigration protests and proudly declare that the EU pact decision would be left in the hands of the people. Not his, not the government’s. There, Sonnen agrees that McGregor’s love for his country comes in all seriousness, but the rest?

“There are no raised funds. There weren’t any supporters,” he asserted. 

McGregor has accumulated about 46 million following across his social media handles and has had the backing of Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and a few other far-right US commentators. But when it came to Ireland, one had to look twice. Reports reveal that the UFC champion had about 7% of voters via opinion polls, while he failed to secure support from legislators and local authorities. To run as a presidential candidate, the 37-year-old required endorsements from at least 20 of the parliament members, but analysts suggest that was an unlikely scenario just yet.

McGregor has been a polarizing figure in Ireland. While cheered on for his success in the octagon, the legal cases of late, including sexual assualt (which he has denied), haven’t exactly worked in his favor. Irish leader Micheál Martin had opined that McGregor “did not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.” Evidently, the UFC champion hasn’t had the best of support through his year-long run, and he is naming his reasons for pulling away.  

Conor McGregor claims the entire system is rigged against him

“This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time,” McGregor wrote on social media. He added that his intentions were “sincere and genuine,” but the election eligibility rules in Ireland’s “outdated constitution” were a “straitjacket” that prevented a “true democratic presidential election being contested”.

He alleged that the constitution itself was “fixed to ensure only Establishment-approved candidates may be selected on the ballot.” McGregor also claimed that this won’t be the end of his political career, adding, “I am driven by a commitment to improve lives, defend rights, and serve the Irish people with dedication and integrity.” He concluded his statement, writing, “This is a marathon. Not a sprint!” 

Having said that, it appears Conor McGregor will have to focus on his MMA career for now. And the good news for him is, Dana White has said he wants Conor McGregor to headline the White House card.