Conor McGregor will run for the Irish presidency in elections later this year, the controversial former fighter said on Thursday, as he announced his candidacy for the largely ceremonial role on an anti-immigration stance.

UFC fighter Conor McGregor has entered the race for the 2025 Irish presidential election, vowing to contest the European Migration Pact. Legal experts and polls suggest he faces strong challenges, with minimal support among voters and likely little backing from political figures.

Who else will stand up to Government and oppose this bill?” he wrote in the lengthy post. “Any other Presidential candidate they attempt to put forward will be of no resistance to them.