Walter Finch
CONTROVERSIAL fighter Conor McGregor has announced he is running for President of Ireland – and has the backing of the world’s richest man Elon Musk.
The former UFC champion, who spends much of his time parked with his yacht in Marbella’s Puerto Banus or sunning himself at the Hard Rock Hotel, has declared his candidacy in a fiery video filmed outside the Taoiseach’s office in Dublin on September 4.
“As a master of martial combat and solution-driven man, you will hear me speak only once about the problem then it is action towards solutions,” he announced in a video that painted Ireland as a quasi-failed state.
“Homelessness for Irish children [has] risen to unprecedented levels,” McGregor told viewers in the clip that quickly went viral.
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“This incompetent failure of future generations has been accompanied with an intense influx of mass migration in an already severed system.
“Our tourism has sharply declined, while danger on our streets has risen.
“As your Head of State, you empower me to enter this building on your behalf… Ireland, under my tenure, the will of the people will be heard.”
The 36-year-old fighter laced his speech with historical references, invoking the 1916 Proclamation and Padraig Pearse’s words on sovereignty.
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“Ireland summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom,” he declared, finishing with “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.”
He quickly received Musk’s endorsement.
“No one will fight harder for the people of Ireland than Conor McGregor!” the X owner wrote to his 223 million followers.
The Irishman’s candidacy has already split opinion.
Despite Musk’s endorsement, polls suggest McGregor faces an uphill battle: to get on the ballot, he must win support from 20 Irish MPs or four local authorities – backing he does not yet have.
His unpopularity is not surprising, given his recent civil rape case, in which a jury in Ireland found him liable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in 2018.
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McGregor was ordered to pay nearly €250,000 in damages. The MMA fighter subsequently lost his appeal against the decision last month, leading to the loss of several sponsorships and partnerships.
Meanwhile, his driving licence was revoked in August 2024 for multiple charges – including dangerous driving.
McGregor has built his political campaign around a hardline anti-immigration stance, repeatedly warning that Ireland is ‘on the cusp of losing its Irishness.’
He mixes this with populist and nationalist rhetoric, promising to put all laws to public referendums and invoking the 1916 Proclamation.
He even famously was photographed with Donald Trump at the White House in March, echoing the US president’s hardline stance on immigration – a move condemned by Irish leaders.
His alignment with Trump and recent endorsement from Elon Musk have cemented his place among a global phalanx of right-wing populist figures threatening establishment politics.
But despite his global stance, the fighter’s ties to Spain run deep.
Earlier this summer he was seen partying with glamour model Katie Price at Wayne Lineker’s O Beach club in Ibiza before a late-night brawl at Pacha nightclub, where he floored a fellow reveller with two left hooks.
And in Marbella itself, he has become a familiar face, from cigar-smoking sessions poolside to his promotional push for bare-knuckle fighting.
Yet despite this chequered past, the fighter is positioning himself as a voice of the people. “Change is needed now,” he urged Irish citizens in his campaign video. “Vote McGregor for President.”
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