Conor Mcgregor Is Ending His Alcohol Sobriety Because Brad Pitt Started Drinking Again

Conor McGregor says he’s stepping off the wagon so Brad Pitt doesn’t have to drink alone. The former UFC two-division champion’s toast of choice: a few pints of his own stout, poured “in support of my fellow actor.”

Both fists raised and roaring at the crowd, Conor McGregor strikes a double-flex pose on stage during the UFC 264 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 9, 2021. Photo by Stacy Revere / Getty Images.

McGregor announced the end of his sobriety Tuesday on X, saying he’d have “a few pints of The Worlds Creamiest Stout @ForgedStout in support of my fellow actor, Brad Pitt!” The beer in question is Forged Stout, a 4.2% brand McGregor launched in 2020. He followed the post with a video of a pint being poured, captioned “This one’s for you, Mucker!” — mucker being Irish slang for a close friend.

The gesture is vintage McGregor: part sincere shout-out, part marketing for a product he owns, part troll. Wrapping a personal announcement around a plug for his own stout is the kind of move that has defined his post-fighting business strategy.

Wearing a colorful printed jacket, Conor McGregor watches from a ringside seat at Wembley Stadium during the Joshua vs. Dubois IBF Heavyweight title fight on September 21, 2024. Photo by Richard Pelham / Getty Images.

The timing, though, is its own story. McGregor tore his ACL and meniscus seconds into last month’s fight against Max Holloway, underwent surgery in early August, and had said he planned to stay sober through his recovery. However, the drinking announcement landed just days after that operation.

At Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, Brad Pitt watches from the stands as Spain face Belgium in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final on July 10, 2026. Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy – FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images.

Pitt, for his part, told GQ he’d returned to drinking moderately after seven years off alcohol, with a couple of slip-ups where larger quantities didn’t sit well with him. Pitt’s more measured approach to ending his sobriety was already making headlines as a risky choice for someone with his history. McGregor’s belligerent addition to the story isn’t going to help Pitt out. Nor is their shared history of allegedly harming others while under the influence.

Conor McGregor stands shirtless in the octagon, his chest tattoo on full display, ahead of his welterweight bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026. Photo by Ian Maule / Getty Images.

McGregor has been through this cycle before. He has previously opened up about alcohol issues tied to promoting his whiskey brand Proper No. 12 after the Floyd Mayweather fight, then framed the pre-Holloway stretch as a renewed commitment to sobriety. Which makes his latest toast — however lighthearted — a familiar swing between abstinence and the bottle.

Clutching an Irish tricolour flag above his head, Conor McGregor celebrates his stunning first-round knockout of Jose Aldo to claim the featherweight title at UFC 194 in Las Vegas on December 12, 2015. Photo by Steve Marcus / Getty Images.

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