How Dee Devlin went from waitress to Conor McGregor’s fiancée: the ex-UFC champion surprised her with a Cartier necklace for her 37th birthday, celebrating on their US$3.8 million yacht

Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor just celebrated his fiancée Dee Devlin’s 37th birthday by reportedly presenting her with the stunning Juste Un Clou Cartier necklace valued at around US$134,700, on top of throwing her an extravagant party aboard their US$3.8 million yacht.

Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin on board their yacht on her 37th birthday. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

The couple announced their engagement on August 8, 2020 – an early birthday surprise for the style icon at the time. Devlin, who turned 37 on August 9, has been the long-time girlfriend to “The Notorious” since 2008 and is mother to their four children.

Dee Devlin was presented a Cartier necklace by long-time partner Conor McGregor. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

But who is the mysterious future Mrs McGregor herself? Read on for everything we know so far about Dee Devlin.

What is Dee Devlin’s background?

Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin met at a nightclub. @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

Devlin hails from Walkinstown, a suburb in the south of Dublin, Ireland, with a population of just 6,819 as of 2016. She was not particularly academically inclined and dropped out of high school at 15, taking up odd jobs, waitressing and modelling throughout her late teens and early 20s.

She met McGregor in 2008 at a nightclub, not long after he had decided plumbing really wasn’t for him and decided to pursue MMA for a living. In the pre-UFC, cash-tight early days, the couple moved into McGregor’s parents’ attic when paying the rent was a challenge.

Dee Devlin used to be a waitress … after dropping out of school

Dee Devlin worked at odd jobs after dropping out of school. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/InstagramAs McGregor began to fight his way to the top, the UFC fighter hired Devlin to take charge of his finances and training schedules, and now she’s part of his management and promotional teams. She was also involved with the management of his whiskey, Proper No Twelve, which he sold in 2021.

Devlin’s support for McGregor extends beyond business management and into a more personal realm too. “I definitely try to help him out all the time, even without realising it – especially around a fight because it’s such a tough time with his weight,” she said in an interview with ESPN, referring to the weight cut the athletes have to go through before a fight. “I cook, clean, pack his gym bag, all that kind of stuff.”

Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin got engaged in 2020. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

It’s the kind of support that McGregor clearly treasures in a partner. “My girlfriend worked very hard throughout the years and stuck by me when I had essentially nothing,” he said in an interview with the Irish Mirror in November 2017. “For me to be able to take her out of work, give her everything she’s ever wanted and to travel the world with fills me with pride.”

Do Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin have any children?

The McGregors and their four children aboard their yacht. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

Devlin’s four children with McGregor are getting more popular by the day on social media, to the point where unofficial baby accounts have been set up on Instagram in their name.

Son Conor Jack Jr was born in Coombe Maternity Hospital in May 2017 and daughter Crois (pronounced “cree-ah”, a name of Irish origin that means “of the heart”) was born in the same hospital in January 2019. The pair later welcomed sons Rían in 2021 and Mack in 2023.

Who is Dee Devlin’s family?

Dee Devlin’s sister Sarah is a model. Photo: @sarahdevlin01/Instagram

Devlin has two sisters, Cathy and Sarah, with the latter signed on to Assets Model Agency.

The 175cm model is also godmother to Conor Jack Jr, and she attended the baby’s christening at Dublin’s Luttrellstown Castle, where David and Victoria Beckham held their wedding in 1999.Advertisement

Cathy keeps a lower profile but will occasionally tweet on her X (formerly Twitter) profile @CathyDx1.

Dee Devlin’s impeccable style

Conor McGregor and fiancée Dee Devlin, who grabs eyeballs for her style sense. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

McGregor likes to spend his fortune in a number of ways, and one of them is clearly on lavish gifts to his fiancée.

Devlin, having once won a most stylish newcomer award at Dublin’s Peter Mark VIP Style Awards in 2016, is known for her dress sense, and if her social media accounts are anything to go by, she has been adding to her wardrobe and jewellery box over the years.

Dee Devlin was a waitress and model in the early days. Photo: @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

Devlin has come a long way since working odd jobs and living in an attic, and the couple’s recent engagement is just the icing on top of a very sparkly, hard-earned and fought-for cake.