Mixed martial artist Conor McGregor will not run for president of Ireland in next month’s election, announcing his decision Monday hours before he was set to appeal to two local councils whose support is necessary to push forward his nomination. 

The 37-year-old Mr. McGregor, writing from America, where he is attending “imminent unforeseen meetings that will translate to Irish jobs,” wrote on X that he is taking a break from politics to focus on other priorities. 

“Following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family, I am withdrawing my candidacy from this presidential race. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time,” he wrote.

Mr. McGregor said he was humbled by support he received from “the ‘forgotten Irish’ who feel abandoned and ignored by Establishment woke politics.” 

While running as a populist independent, Mr. McGregor used anti-establishment, anti-immigration, and nationalist rhetoric during his presidential bid. In his message, he lamented Ireland’s high hurdle for running for office, calling the country’s constitutional system a “straitjacket” meant to preserve entrenched power and prevent a truly democratic contest. 

“This democratic deficit against the will of the Irish people has now been successfully magnified by my expression of interest. In a very short period, I have catalysed a mobilisation for positive change in Ireland against a malevolent political witch-hunt working together with the mainstream media supercharged Fake News,” he wrote. 

To qualify for a presidential run, candidates must either win support from 20 members of the national parliament or from four local councils. Three other candidates — including another sports veteran, the former manager of Dublin’s six-time All-Ireland winning senior Gaelic football team, Jim Gavin, who is running as the center-right Fianna Fáil candidate — have qualified for the October 25 vote. 

Mr Gavin is battling another center-right candidate, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, and a labor- and Social Democrat-backed independent candidate, Catherine Connolly. With the top three within five points of each other and polling showing 36 percent of voters undecided, the ranked-choice system means Ireland’s presidency is up for grabs.

Ireland’s current president, Michael D. Higgins, an independent who had been a longtime Labour Party member, is term-limited after serving two terms. While Mr. McGregor has not spoken about Mr. Higgins directly, he described the presidency as being owned by entrenched interests.

“This campaign has sparked an important conversation about democracy in Ireland about who gets to stand, who gets to choose, and how we can ensure that the presidency truly belongs to the people. That conversation will not end with my withdrawal,” he said.

Saying he will run again in the future, Mr. McGregor was promoting his candidacy as recently as last week while at New York to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11 attacks and meeting with private industry and public officials. The former UFC champion is also helping plan the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States by coming out of retirement to fight in a June or July 2026 match to be held at the White House.

He said Monday that while he is not running for office, his commitment to Ireland is being demonstrated by his promotion abroad of Irish economic interests.

“This is not the end, but the beginning of my political journey,” he said. “I will continue to serve my people on the global stage lobbying for Ireland’s best interest’s socially and economically. … This is a marathon. Not a sprint!”