In response to a comment from a right-wing influencer last week, Elon Musk appeared to endorse the idea of former UFC champion Conor McGregor running for political office in Ireland.
“Not a bad idea,” Musk told his 164 million followers.
The billionaire, who also criticized Ireland’s taoiseach Leo Varadkar, became the latest in a series of controversial figures to support McGregor following the riots in Dublin last month, claiming that “the Irish Prime Minister hates the Irish people.”
Relating to: Dublin riots: Conor McGregor accuses Irish officials of making him a ‘scapegoat’
Much of this support came after Irish police began investigating various social media accounts for “hate speech” to determine whether they had incited chaotic events that resulted in shops being looted, vehicles set on fire and anti-immigrant thugs clashing with officers. McGregor is reportedly among those being investigated.
“Ireland, we are at war,” McGregor had posted the night before the riots.
As rioters descended on Dublin following rumors that a stabbing attack that sent three children to hospital was carried out by an Arab immigrant, McGregor said: “We are not backing down, we are just warming up. We will no longer lose our women and children to sick and twisted people who shouldn’t even be in Ireland.” ” In a separate post, he added: “You reap what you sow.”
McGregor later stated that he “did not condone” the riots, before hinting at a possible return to politics at X.
In response to far-right extremist Paul Golding calling on the UFC fighter to organize a “freedom march” in Dublin, McGregor claimed he was “in the process of organising”. Believe me, I’m much more tactical and have support.”
He added: “There will be change in Ireland, mark my words. Change is necessary.” He later tweeted a photo of himself on Sunday and added the caption: “Ireland, your president.”
This isn’t the first time McGregor has hinted at his interest in politics. When asked by TMZ Sports in 2018 if he was considering the move, he said: “Maybe, who knows?! I know your boots are shaking anyway!”
It’s important to note that McGregot’s talk of running for office should be taken with some caution: her latest interest in politics may just be her latest bid for attention. But he remained vocal about the Irish government’s stance on immigration. He claimed that the incumbent government had made him “ashamed to be Irish” and called on his citizens to demand change. His approach suggests he no longer has faith in the government or Varadkar and may be throwing his hat in the ring.
On the face of it, it’s hard to imagine McGregor being taken seriously as a political candidate in Ireland. That’s why they talked about Donald Trump in the USA. The MMA star’s career has been plagued by scandals. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for his role in an attack on a bus at a UFC event in 2018, was fined for punching a man in a Dublin bar in 2019 and faces multiple allegations of sexual assault and indecent exposure; None of these were any of these claims. resulted in a criminal complaint.
But McGregor has found a way to amplify anti-immigrant tensions and ensure that declining faith in his government’s policies resonates with a subset of Irish conservatives as well as the far-right community worldwide. The UFC fighter’s comments were defended by Chaya Raichik, the woman behind anti-LGBTQ+ social media account Libs of TikTok, US-based white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and American conspiracy theory website Infowars, among others.
And McGregor wouldn’t be the first UFC fighter to turn to right-wing politics.
In 2020, former UFC champion and QAnon supporter Tito Ortiz won a seat on the city council of Huntington Beach, California, and became the city’s mayor; this was a largely ceremonial role and would require Ortiz to step in if the mayor was incapacitated. He resigned less than a year later following a series of controversies.
Two years later, former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn launched a campaign to win the Republican nomination for governor of Hawaii. He lost by a significant margin but refused to concede defeat even though Hawaii’s supreme court dismissed his election complaint.
Most recently, former UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem ran for a seat in the Dutch House of Representatives in 2023 as a member of the right-wing populist Belang van Nederland party. Neither he nor the party won any seats in parliament.
Numerous UFC fighters have actively supported right-wing populist leaders such as Trump and former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro. Numerous MMA fighters, including legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, have campaigned on behalf of Vladimir Putin, while other Russian fighters (including a handful in the UFC) have openly supported their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
McGregor has also backed such controversial figures, labeling Putin “one of the greatest leaders of our time” and hailing Trump as “an extraordinary president.”
While McGregor is part of an ongoing trend of MMA fighters turning to right-wing activism and politics, he will also be one of the most popular and influential fighters to make this transition, making him a potential threat to the current order.
McGregor has more than 58 million followers across social media platforms and was once the highest-paid athlete in the world. His wealth and influence ensure that he has the resources to fund his passion and an unrivaled platform to reach his audience.
The 35-year-old already appears to be changing tactics after his provocative social media posts and focusing on messages of reform instead. In a statement to the Guardian last week, McGregor said he did not condone violence and “prayed that the streets remain calm and peaceful”. “We Irish people are known for our kind hearts and we have a proud history of not accepting racism.” But he also called on the government to reform Ireland’s immigration and refugee policies and that authorities must act “in the best interests of Irish citizens”.
In an X-related post last week, McGregor also accused the government of using him as a “scapegoat” to distance himself from recent events: “If it makes you feel better, I’ll take it,” he wrote.
It remains to be seen whether McGregor will use his newfound political influence to run for office, and the political and social landscape is very different from that in the United States. And much of the support for him appears to come from outside Ireland. But as far-right activists continue to stoke concerns about crime and immigration, the potential for the warrior to emerge as a prominent figure of the populist movement looks increasingly likely.