Conor McGregor pulls out of presidential election race

Conor McGregor had been due to address councillors at Dublin City Council on Monday in a bid to get on the ballot paper

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor Photo: Irish Examiner

Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor has withdrawn from the upcoming presidential election.

Mr McGregor had long indicated his intention to run and had been expected to address councillors at Dublin City Council in a bid to get on the ballot paper.

To run, a candidate needs to secure the backing of four councils or 20 Oireachtas members.

“Following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family, I am withdrawing my candidacy from this presidential race. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time,” Mr McGregor said, in a post on X.

In his statement, Mr McGregor criticised the “straitjacket” of an outdated constitution, saying it is “exploited to prevent a true democratic presidential election being contested, but rather fixed to ensure only establishment-approved candidates may be selected on the ballot”.

Mr McGregor said his intentions to run for the presidency had been "sincere and genuine", adding that the decision to withdraw "was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time". He said he was “humbled” by the support he had received.

Despite being on the list to address Dublin City Council on Monday night, Mr McGregor confirmed he is not currently in the country, saying he will “remain in America and will attend to imminent unforeseen meetings that will translate to Irish jobs".

Mr McGregor criticised what he described as a “malevolent political witch-hunt working together with the mainstream media supercharged fake news”.

He said he would contest future elections, but did not indicate whether this would be a general election or a future presidential election.

“I want to assure the people of Ireland that this will not be my last election. You will see me canvassing again in the future, fighting for your rights and representing the best interests of our nation,” he said.

“This is not the end, but the beginning of my political journey. I am driven by a commitment to improve lives, defend rights, and serve the Irish people with dedication and integrity.

“I will continue to serve my people on the global stage lobbying for Ireland’s best interests socially and economically — of that there is no doubt.”

To date, just three candidates have secured their place on the ballot paper: Independent candidate Catherine Connolly, Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin, and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys.

A Red C Poll, published in Sunday’s Business Post, shows Ms Humphreys is, so far, leading the pack at 22%. This is followed by Mr Gavin on 18% and Ms Connolly on 17%. Mr McGregor’s name did not appear in the poll.

Earlier this year, Mr McGregor lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.

Ms Hand, 35, successfully sued him in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.

She was awarded almost €250,000 in damages and Mr McGregor was also ordered to pay about €1.3m in legal costs after the November trial.