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Debate

Can Conor McGregor balance his wild side with being a successful businessman?

Conor McGregor seems to be completing side quests! The Irishman is one of the most business-savvy fighters we have seen and he takes every opportunity to remind people that he is more than an athlete. In 2020, Conor McGregor purchased a pub in South Dublin in his home country and chose to rename it as ‘The Black Forge Inn’ and now he has a huge update regarding the pub. Is he selling it?

No, silly! In a new post, McGregor’s pride was palpable as he declared, “YES!!! Our @theblackforgeinn has just won GOLD for best food at the @baroftheyear_ awards! I am so beyond incredibly proud of our culinary team and the entire team who are all instrumental in making this dream win a reality for us!”

This is a big thing because the pub previously incurred a $2 million loss due to the pandemic. It seems to be doing well now. And McGregor’s fiancee, Dee Devlin, and sister, Erin McGregor, showed their full support. What did they say?

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Topped off the best weekend ever. Huge congratulations,” Erin McGregor wrote under the post. Similarly, Devlin wrote, “Incredible!! Congratulations babe 😘 you settle for nothing less than perfection in all aspects of The Black Forge, but especially the food, so this one is extra special! I love you.”

Devlin’s comment shocked many people, as it came just hours after a huge controversy involving McGregor. A post-event video from the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally earlier this month saw a woman in a yellow bikini rizzing up to get some attention from Notorious. His reaction? He finished his drink and simply walked away. But middleweight fighter Paulo Costa thought otherwise. “Admit it,” he reacted to the video.

Days later, a photograph emerges that suggests the Irishman did indulge after all, and many fans were disappointed seeing McGregor dance with a woman. But the fighter has chosen to remain unfazed about the matter and go about doing his business the usual way.

What’s your perspective on:

Can Conor McGregor balance his wild side with being a successful businessman?

Have an interesting take?

Devlin’s public show of support following The Black Forge Inn’s big win seems to have put public speculations about their relationship to rest. However, such incidents with McGregor are a norm.

Remember how McGregor was seen with boxer Ebanie Bridges several times? People started speculating and putting their names together. But Bridges defended her friendship with the UFC star time and again.

Both the combat figures first met in May 2023, during Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight at Dublin’s 3Arena. They clicked several pictures that went viral. Then, a few months down the line, they connected at Anthony Joshua’s fight against Robert Helenius. And that’s how people started noticing McGregor and Bridges becoming close.

Fans were not happy, and many started bringing Dee Devlin into the picture. However, their friendship soon turned into a business relationship, wherein ‘The Blonde Bomber’ signed a sponsorship deal with McGregor’s beer company Forged Irish Stout. Bridges was also seen partying with McGregor at The Black Forge Inn earlier this year. She went a step ahead and defended him from online haters.

“You don’t know Conor personally do you? You just judge him for what he shows online… just like all the people who judge me negatively that don’t know me. Don’t be so quick to judge people. He’s very smart and successful he knows what he’s doing and he’s far from an embarrassment,” she wrote to a fan on social media, who called McGregor an embarrassment.

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Well, Bridges isn’t the only famous name he has partied with. Last year, he was seen dancing with Aussie singer Kylie Minogue and celebrating her 55th birthday. Minogue and McGregor previously bumped into each other at the Cannes Film Festival and also at the screening of Baz Luhrmann’s movie ‘Elvis’.

However, Conor McGregor’s partying and drinking has angered fans for another reason… Is a UFC comeback really going to happen?

Every time people see McGregor partying, they get mad! UFC fans have been waiting for him to get back to the octagon and fight. He was supposed to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but pulled out because of a toe injury. At this point, many feel ‘The Notorious’ won’t ever fight again, despite him declaring he intends to get back.

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Daniel Cormier is hopeful about Conor McGregor’s UFC situation!

The saga of Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC comeback feels like a never-ending cliffhanger for the fandom. While the toe injury derailed his UFC 303 plans, UFC CEO Dana White dealt another blow as he proclaimed, “As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year… Conor is saying he wants to fight in December. We’ll see how it plays out.”

However, according to Daniel Cormier, all is not lost for the MMA sphere. Speaking to Chael Sonnen on the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show, the former ‘champ-champ’ explained, “When you listen to the boss [White], it’s in how he says things and you’ve kind of got to read in between the words and he says Conor isn’t fighting. But even him saying ‘we’re going to have to see’ tells you that there is hope.”

Well, hope is there, but people’s patience seems to be running out. Even since his UFC 264 fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021 ended with an injury, he has been teasing a return. Now, rumors suggest that the Irishman will return in December.

Cormier also feels that a fight in December makes sense for McGregor.

For now, the MMA world is left in suspense. People have been waiting to see how McGregor will perform after he broke his left leg against Poirier. It could have been a career-ending injury. But with ‘The Notorious’ claiming a comeback this year and Dana White not being sure about it, fans are once again left hanging in the middle.

Will Conor McGregor make his long-awaited return this December? Share in the comments below.