As a general rule, Irish constitutional scholars do not pay much attention to the world of mixed martial arts.
That changed earlier this month when the UFC star Conor McGregor proclaimed on X that he is the “only logical choice” for the next president of Ireland.
The sports star outlined his intention to use the office to make politicians “answer to the people of Ireland”. If he does not like the answers he receives, McGregor announced, he will “be left with no choice but to dissolve the Dáil entirely”.
In the immediate aftermath, a WhatsApp group containing the country’s leading experts on the Constitution lit up and began dissecting the UFC fighter’s broad interpretation of presidential powers.
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The verdict was not kind.
Amid the emojis and gifs, the scholars arrived at the consensus that McGregor’s interpretation is, to put it kindly, constitutionally illiterate.
“He has a deeply, deeply mistaken understanding of the Constitution,” says Tom Hickey, associate professor in constitutional law at Dublin City University.
Hickey says McGregor, or those working for him, appear to have fundamentally misread Article 13.2.1, which states that the President shall summon and dissolve the Dáil but only “on the advice of the Taoiseach”.
“It seems he read the first half of the sentence without reading the last six words,” says Hickey. “The point is the president absolutely does not have the power to summon and dissolve the Dáil on his own.”
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Other Irish observers were similarly unimpressed, with many noting that if he decides to run, the Crumlin-raised fighter will have an uphill battle in even getting on the ballot. The signatures of 20 members of the Oireachtas or the support of four local authorities are required to secure a nomination.
Outside Ireland, the reaction tended to be far more positive. “Conor McGregor might be president of Ireland before he fights again in the UFC,” reported the US news channel CBS. “His odds of becoming the next president of Ireland are surely better than his odds of winning another UFC title,” Forbes stated.
“Awesome,” said billionaire Elon Musk in response.
Andrew Tate, a notorious online influencer who is awaiting trial in Romania on charges of rape and human trafficking, said he had an Irish passport and promised to vote for McGregor (only residents of Ireland can vote in the presidential election).
The next Irish presidential election is due to take place next year.
Whether McGregor’s announcement is merely posturing, a PR stunt for his various businesses or a genuine intention to enter electoral politics remains an open question. What is clear is that in recent years he has embraced the image of a populist in the mould of Donald Trump, happy to espouse far-right talking points and anti-immigrant sentiments, while claiming to speak for those left behind by establishment politics.
McGregor has publicly called Russian president Vladimir Putin “one of the greatest leaders of our time” and Trump one of the greatest US presidents of all time. He has claimed that Ireland is “at war” and called for buildings earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation to be “evaporated”.
Despite his relationship with Philip Sutcliffe, it appears unlikely McGregor can rely on the support of Independent Ireland if he decides to run for president
He has also, according to various sources, been involving in Irish politics in more subtle ways not announced on his social media feeds. In the run-up to the local elections last June, McGregor quietly encouraged a number of associates to run on an anti-immigration platform.
Philip Sutcliffe, a former Olympic boxer, was one approached by the MMA fighter and asked to run. Sutcliffe, a veteran coach in Crumlin Boxing Club who occasionally helps McGregor in his pre-fight training, was persuaded to run for Dublin City Council just over a month before polling day.
He ran in two areas as part of Independent Ireland, a newly formed political party, and secured a seat in the Ballyfermot/Drimnagh ward with 6.7 per cent of first-preference votes.
Since his election in June, Sutcliffe has informally aligned himself with other anti-immigration candidates who won seats and has shared false information about anti-immigration protests.
In July he was the only member of the council’s south central area committee not to endorse a motion condemning arson attacks on the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock, north Dublin, that was earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation.
Sutcliffe, who did not respond to requests for comment, told a hearing of the committee that he condemned attacks against gardaí and firefighters but also falsely claimed gardaí had set their own cars on fire during the violence, drawing sharp rebukes from his fellow councillors.
“The mask slipped. It was totally bizarre. It was Trump-esque,” recalls one of those present at the hearing.
Despite his relationship with Sutcliffe, it appears unlikely McGregor can rely on the support of Independent Ireland if he decides to run for president.
“I wouldn’t be voting for him. He has nothing to do with the [party leadership],” says one of party’s elected representatives, who does not want to be named. “Phil trained boxers. That’s how he knows him.”
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As well as publicly criticising politicians on social media, McGregor has also been privately contacting senior State officials about his grievances.
In the past two years, senior security officials in the Garda and Defence Forces have been receiving occasional emails from McGregor, demanding they take action against immigration. At least one email referred to an “invasion”, say sources who are familiar with his contacts.
McGregor did not respond to request for comment through his management company nor did his solicitor in Ireland, Graham Kenny.
Before 2020 McGregor showed little interest in political affairs, according to an archive of his social media posts, many of which McGregor has since deleted from his feed.
“Fuck politics and fuck religion,” he tweeted after being criticised for wearing a Remembrance Day poppy in 2015.
That seemed to change in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when he took the view that the restrictions imposed by the Government were too lax and implored the then minister for finance, Paschal Donohoe, to deploy “more units on the street to enforce this lockdown”.
As the pandemic wore on, he gradually became more anti-establishment and occasionally conspiratorial in his pronouncements.
In November 2022, when the first of a long series of protests against asylum seeker accommodation began in East Wall, Dublin, McGregor expressed his support for the demonstrators.
It was another year before the extremity of his position on immigration became clear. “Do not let any Irish property be took over unannounced. Evaporate said property. It’s a war,” he posted on X in November 2023.
After the start of the Dublin riots on November 23rd, McGregor posted “You reap what you sow” as violence and looting spread through the city centre. He later condemned the violence.
His comments drew praise from far-right activists in the US and UK. AI-generated images showing McGregor brandishing an assault rifle and standing in front of a burning bus circulated widely online.
McGregor’s statements also drew attention from gardaí tasked with examining the social media posts of far-right figures accused of inciting the violence. Nothing came of the investigation after investigators determined McGregor’s comments did not meet the criminal threshold.
It was around then that McGregor, with the encouragement of Musk and other prominent figures, first began suggesting a run for Áras an Uachtaráin.
In the subsequent months, McGregor came out against the Government’s stalled hate speech Bill and called for a No vote in the family and care referendums.
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However, he seemed to put his political aspirations on the back burner, instead focusing on promoting his whiskey and stout brands and his planned UFC comeback fight against Michael Chandler.
Now that fight has been postponed until next year at the earliest, and he seems to be in the twilight of his sporting career.
This may make a run for the presidency more likely. However, even if he somehow manages to secure a nomination, he will have a mountain to climb.
The only credible poll to ask about a McGregor candidacy, conducted by the Sunday Independent shortly after the Dublin riots, put his support at 8 per cent.
While his support may not win him the presidency, his money and fame means he is likely to be a powerful force behind Ireland’s growing anti-immigrant movement in the years to come.
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