The two-division champion in the Universal Fighting Championship (UFC) took to the X platform to insinuate his intent to run, writing: "It would not be me in power as president, people of Ireland. It would be me and you."
McGregor also posted an assessment of his "potential competition" if he does run for president. The MMA fighter would be facing two veteran politicians – former Taoisigh (Prime Ministers) Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny. Aside from the two, McGregor might face Gerry Adams, the former president of the Irish Sinn Fein party.
The 35-year-old two-division champion noted the ages of his political rivals – Adams at 75, and the two former prime ministers at 72. He also pointed out that the three have "unbreakable ties to their individual parties politics." McGregor noted: "Regardless of what the public outside their parties feel, these parties govern themselves [versus governing] … the people."
"Young, active, passionate, fresh skin in the game. I listen, I support, I act. I have no affiliation, bias [or] favoritism toward any party."
Previously, the MMA's biggest pay-per-view draw, posted on X a picture of himself sporting a white suit and holding what appears to be a glass of whisky. "Ireland, your president," he captioned the picture.
However, potential candidates must first secure the nominations of either 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish bicameral parliament) or four local authorities. According to the Irish Mirror, it is unknown whether McGregor has sufficient support among senators, Teachtai Dala (members of parliament) or local councilors to secure a nomination.
McGregor also suggested that he would privately fund weekly votes to ensure accountability.
"They would genuinely be held to account regarding the current sway of public feeling. I'd even put it all to vote," he posted. "There'd be votes every week to make sure; I can fund [those polls]."
Out of the octagon, into the political arena
McGregor also had strong words for Ireland's incumbent Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, claiming that the prime minister "hates the Irish people." He also voiced out his support for the rioters in the capital Dublin, who took to the streets after news of a knife attack committed by a migrant of Arab descent. The demonstrators were angry with how Varadkar's government approached the immigration issue.
"We are not backing down; we are only warming up," he wrote. "We are not losing any more of our women and children to sick and twisted people who should not even be in Ireland in the first place."
However, these incendiary comments prompted an investigation by the Garda Siochana, Ireland's national police service. The MMA fighter was among the personalities being probed by law enforcement. (Related: Irish government demands access to people's private social media conversations to spy on anti-mass migration sentiment.)
McGregor is not the first MMA fighter to step into a different ring.
Back in 2020, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz won a seat on the Huntington Beach City Council in California. He became mayor pro tempore of the city, which would have required him to step in if the mayor became incapacitated. However, Ortiz stepped down less than a year after his election after a series of controversies.
In 2022, former UFC BJ Penn launched a campaign to win the Republican nomination for the governor of Hawaii. While he lost by a significant margin, the multi-division champion refused to tap out and accept defeat – despite the Supreme Court of Hawaii dismissing his election complaint.
Over in the Netherlands, MMA fighter Alistair Overeem ran for a seat in the Dutch House of Representatives in the country's 2023 elections. Unfortunately, the right-wing Belang van Nederland party he ran under failed to win a seat in the Dutch Parliament.
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Watch Kevin Johnston urge Irish citizens to listen to Conor McGregor's sentiments on migration.
This video is from the KevinJJohnston channel on Brighteon.com.
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