While Conor McGregor’s UFC career seems to be slipping away amid uncertainty surrounding his return to action, the Irishman has been doing pretty well when it comes to his businesses. Despite being removed as the marketing poster boy of the Proper No. 12 whisky and his brainchild duo (including Forged Irish Stout) being dropped by multiple supermarket chains like JD Wetherspoon, Asda, and Cost Cutter across Ireland and Britain, the Dubliner’s other brands are growing day by day. Enter his $6.1 million juggernaut Black Forge Inn pub!
Recent reports from Ireland suggest the country’s tourism industry is facing a downturn. A year-over-year comparison between January 2024 and January 2025 shows a significant 25% drop in visitors to the Emerald Isle, with tourist spending also taking a sharp decline. But if you ask McGregor, business is booming—at least at his Black Forge Inn. Despite the nationwide slump, the UFC superstar insists that his Dublin-based pub is thriving, bucking the trend and continuing to grow.
The 36-year-old claimed that the areas that make Dublin 12, which includes Bluebell, Crumlin, parts of Terenure, Kimmage, Drimnagh, Greenhills, Perrystown, and Walkinstown, haven’t seen any dip in the tourist numbers like the rest of the country has. “DUBLIN TWELVE IS THRIVING! [Black Forge Inn] PROPER IRISH,” Conor McGregor stated on X.
DUBLIN TWELVE IS THRIVING! @blackforgeinn PROPER IRISH https://t.co/wi2fBN4MzA
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 27, 2025
The former UFC double champion also mentioned recently during his back-and-forth on social media with Belfast fighter Paul Hughes that he has 200 Irish people employed in his brands, which also includes his famous pub. So, it seems like Conor McGregor and the people associated with his businesses are doing pretty well.
However, things weren’t going so great for the Irishman and his Dublin pub back more than a year ago, when the Black Forge Inn looked like it was on the verge of failing as a business. Let’s take a look at that front.
Throwback: Conor McGregor’s Black Forge Inn faces big setback
Conor McGregor’s Black Forge Inn is an award-winning pub, and many celebrities have made sure to come and check into that place from time to time. The Dublin 12-based establishment won the People’s Choice Award in 2023, making McGregor the only UFC fighter to have an award-winning business. However, as the year came to an end, reports emerged that ‘The Notorious’s pub recorded over $2 million in losses, which was accumulated over two years, since Black Forge Inn’s inception in 2021.
LAS VEGAS, NV – March 4: Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena for UFC 285 -Jones vs Gane : Event on March 4, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV, United States.Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx SPP_157533
However, this pub isn’t the only business Conor McGregor has in the alcohol industry. After losing grip on Proper No. 12, the former UFC champion also owns the aforementioned Forged Irish Stout, which he never fails to promote during his public appearances, and the Porterhouse Brewery in his native city of Dublin. But the fact that McGregor didn’t present any numbers to his claims about his pub makes it difficult to determine if what he’s saying is true.
Nevertheless, Conor McGregor has multiple businesses going on and, by the look of it, he’s doing pretty well from the financial point of view. What do you think about McGregor’s claims about his Black Forge Inn and its growth? Drop your comments below.
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