Former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor announced he's dropping out of the race for president of Ireland. He vowed to help change Ireland's rules.

Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor speaks to the media in the White House in March. McGregor announced Monday he is dropping out of the Ireland presidential race. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI UPI

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor announced he's dropping out of the race for president of Ireland.

In a post on X, McGregor said the decision came "following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family."

The election is set for Oct. 24, with three candidates who have the backing needed to run.

In Ireland, those running for president must be an Irish citizen and 35 or older. They must also get the endorsement of at least 20 members of parliament or four of 31 local authorities. McGregor had not yet secured those endorsements.

McGregor, 37, said the election's eligibility rules were a "straitjacket" that prevented "a true democratic presidential election being contested," BBC reported.

"Ireland has drastically changed in recent years, however, is constrained by the straitjacket of an outdated Constitution that is selectively upheld by the main Oireachtas [parliament] parties, and exploited to prevent a true democratic presidential election being contested, but rather fixed to ensure only establishment approved candidates may be selected on the ballot," McGregor said in his Monday X post.

"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 catalyzed a mobilization for positive change in Ireland against a malevolent political witch-hunt working together with the mainstream media supercharged Fake News," he said.

The presidency in Ireland is a symbolic post that has a seven-year term. But McGregor had vowed to curb immigration to boost "Irish culture" and give power "back to the people." He had the endorsements of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

In November 2024, an Irish jury ordered McGregor to pay a woman who accused him of raping her nearly $259,000 in civil damages.

Nikita Hand was awarded the amount from McGregor by a High Court jury in Dublin as part of a civil assault case. Hand alleged McGregor raped her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor denies sexually assaulting Hand.