Conor McGregor has turned out to be one of the most controversial figures in recent years despite his career at the UFC. The UFC champion seems to be becoming more famous because of his controversies and scandals than he is for his career as a professional mixed martial artist. Over the years, McGregor has been accused and even found guilty on charges like driving offenses, s*xual assault, robbery, causing violence, and disrupting mixed martial arts events.
Recently he was found guilty of r*pe, visited the White House, and announced his plans to run for President of Ireland. Well, another controversy has erupted following his old tweets related to the 2023 Dublin riots. If found guilty, the former UFC fighter faces up to seven years in prison.
What is Conor McGregor’s tweets controversy that can send him to jail?
Conor McGregor might have avoided jail time when he was found guilty of r*ping a woman in November 2024 (via BBC), but he might not be so lucky given the recent investigations launched against him. Back in 2023, when it was revealed that non-nationals can vote in local elections in Ireland, McGregor tweeted: Ireland, we are at war.
Following this, the very next day a man was stabbed and soon riots took place in the country, with people raising anti-immigrant slogans. Known for his far-right, anti-immigrant political views, he was subsequently investigated for his social media posts before and during the said violence (see The Guardian).
Now that the controversial figure has announced his plans to run for the Irish presidency, his old tweets have come back to hound him as the Director of Public Prosecutions is currently investigating whether he was responsible for allegedly inciting hate during the Dublin riots of 2023. As the Irish Independent reports, Gardari from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation has compiled a case with the DPP over the five-word X tweet McGregor had made a day before the violence started.
However, this is not the first time he has made comments about immigrants as before the Dublin riots, he had made problematic statements about the Government after Josef Puska, originally from Slovakia, was found guilty of murder on an Irish woman. If he is found guilty of inciting violence, the DPP could have him criminally charged under the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act of 2024, for a maximum of seven years.
Following the problematic tweet he made a day before the riots, the UFC champ further made comments about the same. Stating that he does not condone the violence and that it achieved nothing, he stated that a change is needed, promising to take action if no one else will, hinting at his current political ambitions to run for the president of Ireland (via The Independent).
Conor McGregor wants to be the President of Ireland
Conor McGregor has announced that he will be running for the Irish presidency in the elections being held later this year. The controversial former UFC champion has been an active voice against immigrants and has found a subsequent fan following as a result among the Irish public.
However, his recent controversies and convictions make it difficult for him to win the support of either 20 Oireachtas members, either TDs or senators, or four local councils to have his name on the ballot paper. He later acknowledged that if elected, he would be opposing the European Union migration pact as well as putting the bill to a referendum (via CNN and the Irish Central).
His political ambition to run for the Áras comes after his meeting with the POTUS Donald Trump on St Patrick’s Day in the White House. Appearing alongside his long-time partner and four children, the former fighter hailed Trump as inspiring and openly spoke about Ireland’s immigration and asylum seeker policies.
However, as the BBC and Irish Independent report, McGregor has faced significant backlash ever since he announced his bid to be Ireland’s next president. Meanwhile, in a potential bid to improve his public image, McGregor wants a retrial of the civil r*pe case against him brought by Nikita Hand, citing new evidence (via The Irish Times).
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