UFC's McGregor admits getting 'lost' in his fame

Brett OkamotoJun 25, 2026, 11:23 AM ET

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Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

As Conor McGregor prepares to return to competition for the first time in five years at UFC 329 next month, the Irish superstar has admitted he was derailed by success and fame over the past decade.

McGregor, 37, will face Max Holloway in a welterweight contest on July 11 in Las Vegas. It will mark his first appearance inside the Octagon since he broke his leg during a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In addition to the injury, McGregor has been at the center of multiple legal investigations in recent years, including a civil case in which he was found liable for sexual assault in 2018.

"Fame has its pitfalls," McGregor said, in an interview with Paramount. "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. I find myself even now still in a fight with an old version of me or old ways that don't serve me."

McGregor pointed to his blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017 as the tipping point of his career. Prior to the unprecedented event in Las Vegas, which reportedly earned McGregor in excess of $100 million, McGregor had won two UFC championships -- and became the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts simultaneously in late 2016.

Since the Mayweather fight, McGregor is 1-3 inside the Octagon -- and some of his prefight comments during that time created headlines, as he touched on his opponents' religion and wives.

"At 27 years of age, I had the game conquered," McGregor said. "What more was I to do? I got lost. I got lost in it. Made some mistakes off of that and that's it. You'll always come back if you truly love something, you'll always come home."

McGregor (22-6) holds one prior win over Holloway (27-9). The two met early in their UFC careers as featherweights in August 2013, with McGregor winning a three-round decision.