(Adnkronos) – Mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Conor McGregor has announced that he will run for president of Ireland in the elections at the end of the year. The former UFC fighter, known for his controversial positions and increasingly close to Irish far-right circles, said on social media that he wants to oppose the new European pact on migration. “Who else will oppose the government and this law? – he wrote on Instagram – Any other candidate they try to put forward will not be true resistance. I will be!”.
The announcement comes a few days after his meeting at the White House with Donald Trump on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, an occasion in which he reiterated his position against immigration, sparking controversy at home. “Ireland risks losing its Irishness” he denounced, accusing the government of having “abandoned the voices” of citizens and arguing that rural towns are “invaded by immigrants”. Irish leader Micheál Martin criticized the fighter’s words, which “do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day or the thinking of the Irish people.”
McGregor, who in 2021 was the highest paid athlete in the world according to Forbes, has not fought in the UFC for four years and has long been at the center of legal disputes. He has been accused of sexual assault on several occasions, charges he has always denied. Last fall, a Dublin civil court awarded €250,000 in damages to a woman who accused him of rape in 2018, while in January he was involved in a new civil lawsuit for alleged abuse during the 2023 NBA Finals in Miami. McGregor has denied all charges and announced legal appeals.
Despite his popularity on social media, the path to candidacy promises to be complex for the MMA champion: to enter the list, he must obtain the support of at least 20 parliamentarians or four local councils, but his anti-immigration rhetoric has few supporters among Irish politicians.
In his announcement, McGregor promised that, if elected, he would submit the EU pact to a popular referendum. “Although I strongly oppose this deal, it is not my decision or the government’s. It is a choice for the Irish people! Always! – he wrote – This is the future of Ireland with me as president”.
