You know that spine-tingling moment all too well when the light dims low in the UFC arena and green, orange, and white spotlights start to descend over the audience.
It’s the very moment when the Conor McGregor walkout song is about to play, but what’s the name of that song?
Conor McGregor’s walkout song is “The Foggy Dew” by SinĂ©ad O’Connor & The Chieftains, which is used for most fights. He also used it for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. For UFC 196, he chose a custom mashup of The Foggy Dew and El Chap by The Game & Skrillex.
Below you can find more about each song choice and where to listen.
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The Foggy Dew by SinĂ©ad O’Connor & The Chieftains
Conor’s main walkout song choice is The Foggy Dew by SinĂ©ad O’Connor & The Chieftains, a song which was originally a poem written by Father Charles O’Neill in 1919.
You can listen to The Foggy Dew on Spotify.
The song depicts a historic moment in Irish history where Irishmen held an armed insurrection against British rule.
This attempt was unfortunately deterred as the British put down the Irish and executed most leaders of the Easter Rising. It began April 24th and ended just five days later on April 29th, Easter Week of 1916.
It’s that purpose which is present in SinĂ©ad O’Connor’s music video for the song:
The Foggy Dew has had many versions since it was written.
A rendition by Luke Kelly being possibly the most famous (before McGregor’s use of it) in 1966:
The purpose behind O’Neill’s poem is one of self-determination and tenacity.
Now doesn’t that sound just like The Notorious?
It’s lyrics are for inspiring Irish men to fight for the cause of the Irish, rather than that of the British.
Words which lament the loss of thousands of Irish troops during World War I, where Irish men fought to the defense of the British.
The lyrics ask of Irish men, wouldn’t it be better to die “under an Irish sky” instead of abroad on Turkish soil where they would lie to rest in “lonely graves”.
And one further, convincing that those who died would be better rested “‘Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.”
Conor chose Sinead O’Connor’s version of the song and even had her perform live for the walkout at UFC 189, where the pair share a moment pointing to each other as he enters the arena:
Want to feel the full effect of the spine tingling effect of Conor’s walkout song?
Watch his walkout for UFC 246, after 470 days away from the cage:
Conor McGregor’s other walkout song choices
Conor McGregor has most famously used The Foggy Dew for his walkouts, but there are some walkouts …
Mayweather vs. McGregor
Conor took a one-time exhibition match with the greatest boxer of all time, Floyd Mayweather, in 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
For that event, McGregor walked out again to The Foggy Dew.
But as the song ends, the music transitioned into a slight remixed version of “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G:
Supposedly Conor chose this extra song for his walkout as a cheeky joke against Floyd because he, allegedly, had been running from the tax man and had some big bills to pay.
Fans globally have often made jokes about Floyd picking up extra celebrity fights in recent years just because of his high lifestyle expenses. Maybe that was part of the joke, too.
According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Mayweather was guaranteed to earn a fight purse of $100 million dollars, and McGregor $30 million.
Both fighters signed a non-disclosure agreement and they wouldn’t divulge exact numbers, but it is theorized that Floyd Mayweather could earn up to four times more than his guaranteed purse if the event hit all its goals.
And McGregor later revealed that he himself earned around $100 million from the fight.
UFC 229: Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor
Conor McGregor walked out to The Foggy Dew for his UFC 229 matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov, but with a twist.
As the main section of The Foggy Dew comes to an end, Conor’s walkout music switches up with a remix announcing “Notorious” (Conor’s fighting nickname) from one of The Notorious B.I.G.’s songs then into Hypnotize.
Here’s the full song from Biggie:
Conor’s heritage and glory
Most of Conor’s UFC walkout song choices are perfectly picked for his heritage and background, as well as adding mixes of hip-hop music that define his newfound fame, glory, and wealth.
He’s fought in several weight classes, including Featherweight, Lightweight, and even Welterweight, and has found some level of success in each.
Fans are looking out for his return to the octagon to ignite with fire once again, as he’s been successful in facing the quality of Dustin Poirier on both their second and third rematches.
More UFC walkout songs
I’ve already covered a huge list of walkout songs for the UFC’s top-ranked fighters where you’ll find most of any other famous fighters and their songs of choice!
Here are a few other famous walkout songs from UFC fighters you might want to know: