Conor McGregor has opened up on the complicated period that followed his historic 2017 run, admitting he felt “caught and trapped” by the constant promotional demands around Proper No. Twelve.
McGregor was at the absolute height of his powers in that era. He had become the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion, crossed over into boxing for the blockbuster Floyd Mayweather fight, and then launched his Irish whiskey brand during the most commercially explosive stretch of his career.
But according to ‘The Notorious‘, the public perception around that period did not fully match the reality behind the scenes.
Speaking ahead of his UFC 329 clash with Max Holloway, McGregor pushed back against the idea that he was drinking heavily at the time. Instead, he explained that the business side of Proper No. Twelve quickly became all-consuming. The Irishman said:
“2017, double weight world champion, Floyd Mayweather banked, and then I launch an Irish whiskey.”
“I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, in that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know there’s thousands upon thousands of bottles in my garage.”
“‘Sell this Conor.’ ‘Okay.’ I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm. And that was it.
“God gave me these lessons, that’s it. I was trapped and caught and it is what it is. I trust in God, I trust in my journey.”
Check out Conor McGregor’s comments below:
Conor McGregor Looks Back on the Pressure That Followed His 2017 Peak
It is a rare reflective moment from Conor McGregor, who has spent most of UFC 329 fight week leaning fully into the theatre of his return. The suits, the one-liners, the Holloway jabs, the cameras, all of it has felt familiar. But this was a different kind of answer.
Not a punchline. Not a threat. More of a look back at the machinery that came with being Conor McGregor at his commercial peak.
Proper No. Twelve became one of the defining brands attached to McGregor’s name, but his comments suggest the responsibility of constantly pushing it arrived at a time when he was already carrying more attention than almost any fighter in combat sports history.
The timing also matters. McGregor is no longer selling the idea of invincibility from 2016 or the chaos of 2017. He is now trying to sell a return. July 11 against Holloway at T-Mobile Arena is not just about proving he can still fight. It is about showing there is still a serious athlete underneath everything that came after.
Same name. Different chapter. And this time, McGregor seems intent on writing it on his own terms.
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