Conor McGregor has reignited calls for a major fight at Croke Park after witnessing Katie Taylor bring her legendary boxing career to an emotional close at the Dublin stadium.
Taylor defeated Flora Pili by unanimous decision on Saturday, Sept. 5, in front of 83,000 fans, ending her professional career on home soil as the undisputed super-lightweight champion. The historic occasion immediately prompted McGregor to celebrate his fellow Irish combat sports star while suggesting that her Croke Park chapter should not be the last major fight staged for an Irish superstar.
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‘One More For The Mac’
McGregor took to X the following day to praise Taylor’s performance and encourage her to reconsider her retirement.
“Katie Taylor, let’s do ONE MORE FOR THE MAC. Well done, champ!” McGregor wrote alongside a photograph of himself with Taylor.
The former two-division UFC champion also posted another message celebrating the atmosphere at Croke Park.
“Fantastic scenes in Croke Park, Ireland for Katie Taylor’s most recent fight. She looked better than ever! Younger, fresher, renewed like the eagles!” McGregor wrote.
McGregor’s posts came only hours after Taylor officially closed the book on her professional career. It also comes as he is currently recovering from his injury against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July.
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Katie Taylor’s Magical Night
The 40-year-old Irish boxing icon entered Croke Park with a 25-1 record and left with another victory, beating the previously undefeated Pili by unanimous decision.
Taylor’s retirement fight had been years in the making, as Croke Park represented one of the few remaining ambitions of a career that included Olympic gold and undisputed championships in two weight classes.
Earlier this year, Taylor described fighting at the stadium as the dream way to end her career, saying, “From my perspective, it will be an absolute dream to end my career at Croke Park.”
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Taylor’s fairy tale ending came true as she faced Pili in what was her final professional bout. The event drew 83,000 spectators, giving Taylor one of the most significant homecomings in Irish sporting history and providing a spectacular conclusion to a professional career that began in 2016.
She controlled much of her fight with her jab, movement and pressure before finishing the 10-round contest comfortably on the judges’ scorecards, allowing her to retire with a 26-1 professional record.
The Irish star’s farewell also cemented her status as a three-time undisputed champion. Her career included the undisputed lightweight championship, the undisputed super-lightweight championship and landmark fights with Amanda Serrano, while her 2012 Olympic gold medal helped transform the profile of women’s boxing.
Croke Park’s Significance
For McGregor, Croke Park has long been associated with his own ambitions for an Irish homecoming. The Irish star has repeatedly expressed his desire to compete in Ireland again, making Taylor’s successful stadium event a natural reminder of what a massive combat sports occasion in his home country could look like.
However, McGregor’s latest posts do not amount to an official announcement that he has secured a Croke Park fight. His message can be interpreted as directed toward Taylor herself, with the phrase “ONE MORE FOR THE MAC” calling on her to fight again rather than formally announcing a bout of his own.
McGregor subsequently shared an image comparing Taylor’s Croke Park farewell with Muhammad Ali’s famous appearance at the stadium in 1972.
Ali defeated Alvin Lewis by technical knockout at Croke Park that year, establishing another historic connection between the venue and major international boxing.
The Irish UFC fighter also wrote a post on X, listing himself among the other two fighters, seemingly prophesying his own future fight at Croke Park.
For now, however, there is no confirmed McGregor fight at Croke Park. His latest comments are best understood as a public celebration of Taylor and a playful attempt to persuade her to reverse her retirement, while also putting the spotlight back on his own long-standing desire to headline a major combat sports event in Ireland.
