Conor McGregor will enter the Octagon once again as he faces Max Holloway in Las Vegas after a five-year hiatus
Conor McGregor will make his UFC welterweight return against Max Holloway in Las Vegas after a five-year break from brawling. The divisive Irishman still made headlines during his hiatus, however, with his hints about football club ownership and his presidential bid.
McGregor, for all his recklessness, is one of the sport’s defining figures. He became the first fighter to hold two world titles in two different weight classes simultaneously and his scraps with Jose Aldo, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz were generational.
Not to mention, his boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, which remains one of the most lucrative single-day sporting events in history. McGregor’s career was put on hold in 2021 when he broke his leg during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier and a 2024 return was derailed by a toe injury. An 18-month doping ban he had been serving concluded in March.
But the 37-year-old is back in the big time on Saturday night and the Manchester Evening News takes a look at his life away from the Octagon, including his Manchester United proposal and staggering fortune.
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What is Conor McGregor’s net worth?
McGregor has amassed a stellar fortune through both his exploits in combat and his various business ventures. In the UFC, some of his earlier fights bagged him millions, but it was his bigger title clashes that really swelled his wallet.
He claimed to have taken home around £37million for UFC 229 vs Khabib and £22.5m when he faced Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in 2020. His final two fights with Poirier also netted him £18.5m and £22.5m, respectively, according to estimates.
But it was the Mayweather mega-fight that really took the cake and reports suggested McGregor earned nearly £100m from that bout alone. McGregor has also prospered business-wise during his time away from fighting.
You can combine his career earnings with his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ownership, his Forged Irish Stout and his role in Amazon Prime’s reboot of Road House.
His most lucrative financial deal came when he sold his majority stake in Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey in 2021. That single deal was worth up to £450m, from which McGregor personally pocketed over £100m. Altogether, though, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that the Irishman has a net worth of around £150m.
What was Conor McGregor’s Manchester United proposal?
Months before he suffered a broken leg against Poirier, McGregor took to social media with an outlandish proposal, irrespective of his impressive fortune.
In the wake of the European Super League’s collapse in 2021, McGregor posted: “Hey guys, I’m thinking about buying Manchester United! What do you think?”
He later doubled down on the sentiment, stating: “Both Celtic and Manchester United are teams I definitely like. I’m open, I feel like I could do great things for a club.”
Nothing came of this supposed interest, though, and he later showed an apparent fondness for both Liverpool and Chelsea whilst claiming he was in talks to buy shares in Celtic.
What were Conor McGregor’s presidency ambitions?
Keeping busy during his break, McGregor officially launched a bid to run for President of Ireland in March 2025. This somewhat far-fetched goal, however, proved short-lived, as in September he withdrew his bid.
To legally get his name on the ballot, he needed to secure official nominations from either 20 members of the Irish Parliament or four local city or county councils. He soon realised he faced an uphill battle in securing this and pulled out. He slammed the system on social media platform X.
He’ll put this behind him as he steps into the cage as an underdog against Holloway, whom he last fought 13 years ago, and returns to the bright lights of Sin City.
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