The conversation largely focused on McGregor’s return to competition. \u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d the 37-year-old fighter said. \u201cFive years out of the game. I\u2019m ready to rock.\u201d Discussing his approach inside the cage, McGregor added, \u201cYou have to be calm; you have to be composed. You have to trust your training and your discipline. There\u2019s no hiding in the Octagon.\u201d<\/p>\n
But clips from the interview quickly drew backlash online, with critics accusing Fallon of helping rehabilitate McGregor’s public image without addressing the controversies that have surrounded him in recent years.<\/p>\n
The renewed scrutiny comes less than a year after McGregor lost his appeal in a civil sexual assault case brought by Dublin woman Nikita Hand. In November 2024, an Irish jury found the former two-division UFC champion liable over an incident dating back to 2018, awarding Hand nearly \u20ac250,000 in damages.<\/a> McGregor maintained that the encounter was consensual and later appealed the verdict, but Ireland\u2019s Court of Appeal rejected the appeal in July 2025.<\/p>\n Following the original judgment, McGregor issued a statement acknowledging personal failings while continuing to deny wrongdoing. \u201cPeople want to hear from me, I needed time,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cI know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cAs much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual.\u201d<\/p>\n