Conor McGregor Fires Up Dublin Crowd, Urges Supporters to Secure His Spot on Presidential Ballot

Dublin, September 4, 2025 - Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor took to the streets outside Government Buildings in Dublin today, delivering a blistering speech in which he denounced the Irish government’s handling of key social issues and appealed directly to his supporters to help him qualify for the upcoming presidential election.

McGregor lambasted rising child homelessness, increasing crime rates, and a downturn in tourism as evidence of “an incompetent failure of future generations” by current officials. Branding himself a “master of martial combat” and “solution-driven man,” he promised to transform rhetoric into action if elected.

In a nearly two-and-a-half-minute video released on social media, McGregor declared that the presidency should be “face-to-face with government officials with only one priority - to ensure that the country our founding fathers gave their life for is strictly adhered to on behalf of its citizens”. He emphasized his pledge that “no law will be signed until it goes back to the people first” via public referendums.

Under Irish election law, McGregor must secure nominations from at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities by September 24 to appear on the ballot for the October 24 election. Acknowledging that official endorsements have yet to materialize, he urged his Irish followers to contact their local county councillors today and ask them to nominate him.

“If you are a councillor feeling sidelined, constrained, and disregarded in your community, I urge you to support me. Nominate me, and I will provide you with a platform and the influence to be truly acknowledged,” he said, calling local councillors “the backbone of our communities”.

McGregor’s political ambitions follow an August 4 petition he launched to amend nomination rules, which currently require substantial parliamentary backing. Despite his claims of having support from councils, TDs, and senators, no formal nominations have yet been submitted.

As the deadline approaches, McGregor’s bid remains a long shot; critics point to his 2018 civil court ruling for sexual assault, upheld on appeal this year, and his lack of prior political experience. Nevertheless, the mixed martial arts icon’s surprising pivot to politics has captured international attention and energized his fan base in Ireland’s capital.