Conor McGregor, the famous — some might argue infamous (and his nickname was “Notorious”) — Mixed Martial Arts fighter, announced on social media that he is seeking the presidency of Ireland. Key to his campaign is tackling migration into the Emerald Isles, as which he views as a threats to his homeland.
At the center of his platform is the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, which would establish new rules when it comes to, as the name implies, migration and asylum.
“Who else will stand up to Government and oppose this bill?” McGregor wrote. “Any other Presidential candidate they attempt to put forward will be of no resistance to them. I will!”
McGregor, who recently visited the Oval Office, has a legendary 22-6-0 record in the UFC. But his ability to punish opponents on the mat might not be enough to propel him to office — Polymarket puts his chances at 6%.
But running for political office as an athlete, and most importantly winning, has been done before. Here are a few.
Editor’s note: (For brevity, I’m only going back to the 40s and this is not a comprehensive list — America just loves a winner)
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford played football as a center, linebacker, and long snapper for the University of Michigan from 1932 to 1935. After his playing days, he stepped into coaching, serving as an assistant varsity football coach at Yale from 1935 to 1937 before taking on the role of head coach for Yale’s junior varsity team in 1938.
He went from U.S. rep in 1949 to vice president in 1973 and then president in 1974.
Mo Udall
Mo Udall played basketball for the University of Arizona and then the Denver Nuggets. He went on to serve a whopping 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias was a track and field runner who was the decathlon winner at the Summer Olympics in 1948 and 1952 — and he held his House seat from 1967 to 1975.
Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp was quarterback for the Buffalo Bills from 1962 to 1969 … a couple years later, he became a U.S. House representative and maintained that position from 1971 to 1989.
Bill Bradley
Bill Bradley was a Hall of Fame small forward, starred at Princeton University, won a gold medal with the 1964 Olympic team, and became a key player for the New York Knicks.
He served as a U.S. Senator starting in 1979 and became U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1989.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura has had what can only be described as a wild career. He went from pro-wrestling, to starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator, to a mayor in 1991, then finally becoming Minnesota’s governor in 1998.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Well, we can’t mention Predator without talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The famed Mr. Olympian bodybuilder, who held that title from 1970 to 1973, became one of the most bankable stars in America for decades. He was subsequently Calirfonia’s governor from 2003 to 2011 and mostly hangs out with his donkey and other animals on his estate.
Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko should be a well-known name for fans of boxing. The Ukrainian heavyweight has a 45-2-0 record (his brother, Wladimir Klitschko, is no slouch either with a record of 64-5-0). Vitali won the mayorship of Kiev (Ukraine’s capital city) in 2014 and has held it since, vowing to fight Russia’s invasion.
