Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor is returning to the UFC after a five-year absence due to injury, headlining the promotion's major International Fight Week event this weekend. Once the sport's most compelling personality and primary draw, his comeback marks a significant moment for the fighting world, though his time away from competition has been shadowed by various controversies that complicate his narrative of return.

A civil court determined that McGregor sexually assaulted a woman in December 2018, resulting in a damages award that he unsuccessfully appealed in 2025. Beyond this legal matter, he has completed an anti-doping suspension for missing three drug tests, faced an assault conviction stemming from a Dublin pub incident, and withdrew from a presidential campaign in Ireland. McGregor has asserted his innocence regarding the sexual assault allegation and noted his recent intensive testing record, yet these accumulated incidents have significantly diminished his standing, particularly within his home country.