After 16 years and four children together, Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin finally tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony in the Vatican City.
Many had wondered what finally spurred the UFC superstar to take the plunge and McGregor did not disappoint when he made his bizarre reveal on social media on Monday.
McGregor said that he had an “intense need to wed” Devlin after waking up from a hallucinogenic treatment in Mexico.
The former two-division UFC champion also revealed the role that numerology and some “divine orchestration” played in the grand event.
What McGregor said
“I married the love of my life, Dee, on the 12th of the 12th at exactly 12:12pm. We wed in the Chapel of Santo Stefano degli Abissini — the Vatican’s oldest church,” McGregor wrote on Instagram.
“The date was precisely 151 days after my birthday. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ — His name adds up to 151 in gematria. As does my own. Jesus Christ = 151. Conor McGregor = 151.
“These divine alignments, the wedding on 12/12 at exactly 12:12pm in the Vatican’s oldest church, exactly 151 days after my birthday, tying into the numerology of my name matching that of Jesus Christ, and even the connection to Psalm 151 (a powerful, personal testament of David’s journey and victory through faith) are unmistakable signs of divine orchestration that I had no idea about.
“The exact 12:12pm timing was not my plan at all. A letter from the Vatican arrived just a week prior, requiring the ceremony to be moved earlier.”
McGregor, who previously has posted about undergoing hallucinogenic treatments in Tijuana intended to address trauma, shared that he “awoke from the treatment … with the most intense need to wed Dee, on this day, and in the Vatican.”
The post, which featured several photos from the wedding and reception, closed with the 37 year old sharing his love for God, his new wife and their children.
McGregor and Devlin have been together since meeting at a nightclub in 2008 and got engaged in 2020. The couple have four kids — Conor Jr., Croía, Rían and Mack — ranging in age from two to eight years old.
How much did the wedding cost?
According to TMZ, McGregor and Devlin exchanged vows in a private ceremony at the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini, which is a historic chapel within the Vatican’s walls.
The two reportedly had an intimate ceremony which included dancers and fireworks before heading to the reception at a castle in Rome — which was complete with a packed dance floor, neon signs and a full cigar bar — having been transported in a vintage 1930s Rolls-Royce Phantom III.
The entire event is reported to have cost between $240,000 and $400,000.
McGregor’s UFC history
The Irish MMA star is a former champion at both featherweight and lightweight, becoming the first fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes at the same time.
However, he has not competed in UFC since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor, who has ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, is rumoured to be making his return to the Octagon during the UFC event set to take place on the White House lawn this summer.
Aborted run for political office
McGregor has been a controversial figure outside of the octagon while attempting to use his fame to run for political office in his home country.
Despite garnering public support through his MMA stardom and social media, McGregor was forced to abort his campaign to become president of Ireland.
McGregor, who had campaigned on an anti-immigration platform, bowed out of the race after it became clear he was a longshot to even be on the ballot for the election this past October — which was won by Catherine Connolly, who succeeded Michael D. Higgins.