Conor McGregor on legal troubles: 'Fame has its pitfalls'

Conor McGregor says he underwent treatment to address the personal issues that have dogged him outside the octagon in recent years.

The former two-division UFC champion, who faces Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, told Paramount that he has done extensive self-reflective work after a string of legal problems. "Fame has its pitfalls," McGregor said, per MMA Fighting. "You better move carefully in this world, for sure, probably even more so now. I've taken a lot of lessons in my life, and it's just about self-discovery. Studying yourself. Learning yourself. Learning triggers." McGregor has not fought since 2021 and spent the layoff navigating multiple allegations, including a civil case in Ireland where he was found liable for assault.

McGregor admits he still battles old patterns

The Irishman said he is actively fighting to avoid slipping back into behavior that no longer serves him. Returning to the fight bubble triggered some of those old instincts. "On my immediate return to this game and the cameras and even this now, I found myself reverting to an old version of me," he said. "I had to kind of remind myself, hold on, I just had to reflect again and say I'm different now. I'm a different person. I've put in work. It's easy to fall into old habits."

McGregor acknowledged that his downfall began after he beat Eddie Alvarez in 2016 to become the UFC's first simultaneous two-division champion. The Floyd Mayweather boxing match that followed reportedly earned him over $100 million, but he went years without fighting MMA and lost badly to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. "At 27 years of age, I had the game conquered," McGregor said. "Two-weight world champion, I had the Floyd bout, boxed off, I was only 27 years of age. I had the game wrapped up in a blink. What more was I to do? I got lost."

He said staying on track is a daily effort. "It's day-by-day work. Day after day. You've got to put it in," McGregor said. "Life is about balance. If you don't, you're one slight wobble from falling off entirely and it can be drastic." He returns to the octagon for the first time in five years when he meets Holloway next month.

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• MMA Fighting — Conor McGregor addresses outside the cage issues that have plagued his career: ‘Fame has its pitfalls’