Conor McGregor, the former MMA champion, has officially withdrawn his bid to contest the 2025 Irish presidential election, citing difficulty navigating Ireland’s nomination rules and after consulting with his family. McGregor’s announcement came via a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he said: “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.”
A major obstacle for his campaign was securing the required nominations. Under Irish law, presidential hopefuls must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas (parliament) or by four local authorities. As of his withdrawal, McGregor had not obtained support from either group, making his path to the ballot paper extremely unlikely.
McGregor criticized the nomination requirements as restrictive, calling Ireland’s constitutional stipulations a “straitjacket” favoring establishment-backed candidates and limiting democratic choice. He said his campaign had “magnified” what he described as a “democratic deficit … against the will of the Irish people.”
Though stepping back from this election, McGregor expressed his intention not to abandon political engagement, pledging that this is not the end of his political journey. He said he will continue to use his international profile to promote Irish interests, advocate for transparency, and push for reforms in how citizens are represented.
His withdrawal clears the way for other confirmed and prospective candidates. Already confirmed are Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael), Jim Gavin (Fianna Fáil), and independent MP Catherine Connolly. Sinn Féin has yet to decide whether to enter the race or back another.
