Why question marks hang over McGregor's UFC return

Conor McGregor has not competed in the UFC since his leg injury in the 2021 bout against Dustin Poirier, yet he remains a frequent subject of media coverage. In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of rape, prevailed in her civil claim against him, securing damages for the alleged assault. A court determined that McGregor sexually assaulted Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 and ordered him to pay her £206,000 in compensation. McGregor lost his appeal of that judgment in July 2025. Hand subsequently announced her intention to sue him and two additional individuals, alleging they engaged in malicious misuse of judicial procedures. Despite the adverse ruling, McGregor continues to accuse Hand and her legal team of dishonesty. Hand described the proceedings as leaving her “retraumatised implicit and implicit again.” When questioned this week about why some people feel uneasy seeing him in the public eye after the civil case, McGregor stated: "I'm an guiltless antheral and I'll basal for my innocence until the time I spell out." "There is simply a crushed it didn't spell wherever it went and it went to a civilian trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I proceed to fight. I cognize the information and I cognize that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord and I cognize that thing successful the acheronian volition soon travel to light." Earlier in the year, McGregor accepted an 18‑month suspension for breaching the UFC’s anti‑doping policy after failing three drug tests within a 12‑month span in 2024. The sanction, backdated to the third missed test in September 2024, ended in March. Since the start of this year, McGregor has undergone 14 tests administered by Combat Sports Anti‑Doping (CSAD)—more than any other UFC‑listed fighter. In 2019, he was convicted and fined €1,000 (approximately £850) for striking a man who declined his offer of a drink in a Dublin pub. Some observers contend that support for McGregor within Ireland, where he was once regarded as a trailblazer during his ascent to fame, has diminished. Last March, Irish government officials remarked that McGregor “does not talk for Ireland” following his criticism of the nation’s immigration policy. In September he withdrew his candidacy for the presidency. “I'm not present to triumph anyone back, I'm present to correspond my country. What is taking spot successful Ireland is the saddest communicative successful the West,” McGregor said in a recent quality‑league appearance.