Conor McGregor has found renewed motivation after connecting with some inspiring words about faith from fellow Irish boxing star Katie Taylor. Ever since McGregor shattered his leg in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, his long-promised return has remained uncertain. But his comeback hopes surged after Donald Trump announced that a UFC event would take place on the White House lawn in June next year. In response, McGregor even re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool to clear the required protocols.

Things took a turn in October, however, when he received an 18-month suspension from the UFC’s CSAD program. Fortunately for him, the ban is retroactive to September 20, 2024, meaning it will expire on March 20, 2026—a little over three months before the planned White House card. Confident he’ll be part of the event, despite the UFC not yet making it official, McGregor continues to move as though his spot is guaranteed. Amid all the uncertainty, he recently drew strength from Katie Taylor’s faith, using it as fuel for his own journey back to the Octagon.

Conor McGregor hails Katie Taylor as Ireland’s hero

Katie Taylor recently appeared on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, where she was asked about her faith in God and how it has influenced her boxing career. “It’s the most important thing to me. It doesn’t just happen in my fights. I think it helps me with everything,” Taylor told host Patrick Kielty. “It helps me make sense of the world. It is a worldview after all, and I view the world through the lens that God is real, that Jesus is a real historical figure who lived, who breathed, who died, and rose again.”

“I believe he’s the greatest of all time. And yeah, I’m getting emotional here talking about my faith, but it’s a foundation of my life. It’s the most essential part of my life,” she added during the interview. McGregor appears to have been deeply connected with those words, as he shared Taylor’s interview on Instagram, expressing his own belief in God while uplifting his Irish heritage. “Jesus forever King,” he captioned the post. “Ireland forever Catholic! God bless our hero Katie Taylor! A shining example of the power of Christ!”

Conor McGregor has been pushing to face Michael Chandler on the White House card in June. The pair were previously scheduled to fight at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024, after coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter in 2023. However, McGregor withdrew two weeks before the event due to a broken toe suffered in training. It was the first and only injury-related pullout of his UFC career, and the bout has yet to be rescheduled.

Meanwhile, Taylor recently revealed that she has tied the knot at the age of 39 with American real estate agent Sean ­McCavanagh. They first met when McCavanagh, an Irish American, helped her buy a five-bedroom apartment in December 2023. Regardless, coming back to McGregor, despite the uncertainty surrounding his next move inside the Octagon, the 37-year-old continues to stay in fight-ready shape.

Conor McGregor’s coach says he is 100% for UFC White House

Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, says the former UFC superstar is fully committed to fighting at the UFC’s planned White House event. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show a while back, Kavanagh made it clear that Team McGregor is already operating as though the comeback is confirmed. “On our end, we’re 100% in,” he said. “He’s asked me to basically lay out a program between now and June of how we’ll ramp up the training.” 

According to Kavanagh, McGregor has returned to consistent work. “He’s showing up again, he’s back in the gym most mornings, early. He’s just having fun with it,” Kavanagh added. The coach claimed that McGregor has been pushing hard behind the scenes, energized by watching the sport move on without him, while noting the final decision ultimately rests with the UFC.

As June inches closer, it seems Conor McGregor has turned to his faith for renewed motivation. Still, whether he ultimately secures a spot on the UFC’s White House card remains uncertain. Do you think the UFC should give him the fight?