Conor McGregor Odds To Enter Irish Politics Revealed

UK betting sites reckon Conor McGregor has a fighting chance of one-day being the President of Ireland but doubt he will join one of the main political parties to achieve his aim.

The MMA fighter has sparked optimism that he could soon enter frontline politics after tweeting about the “potential competition” for the Irish presidency.

McGregor, 35, is one of the biggest mixed martial arts fighters on the planet and has a string of business interests that go far beyond the Octagon.

The Crumlin native is also often outspoken about Irish politics. In 2021 he called for the Republic to “talk leaving the European Union” following a tightening of Covid-19 restrictions.

With 57m social media followers, McGregor has a potential reach that goes way beyond other politicians. 

And UK bookmakers have taken note of his recent social media activity by giving him a fighting chance of entering frontline politics.

Conor McGregor Irish Political Odds

BoyleSports reckon McGregor could push to enter the Dáil in 2025 or run for president the same year.

He is 4/1 to run as a TD candidate at the next election, although there is uncertainty over whether he’d run as an independent or join a political party.

His odds of running for the presidency are out at 8/1, but may well fall after his latest social media antics.

Conor McGregor Irish President Odds

According to political betting sites, McGregor is 40/1 to succeed Michael Higgins as the next Irish president. Those odds suggest just a 2.4% probability. 

He is behind the likes of Mairead McGuinness, Fergus Finlay and Bertie Ahern for the prestigious post.

Seeking to ruffle up the market, McGregor tweeted an image of himself in early December holding a drink, with the caption: “Ireland, your President. ☘️❤️”.

Naturally this got X (formerly Twitter) talking. So much so that X owner Elon Musk got in on the act.

“I think you could take them all single-handed. Not even fair,” posted Musk.

This led McGregor to explain why he felt he could win the next Irish presidential election - and his logic is by no means incorrect.

“Potential competition if I run. Gerry (Adams), 78. Bertie (Ahern). 75. Enda (Kenny), 74. Each with unbreakable ties to their individual parties politics. Regardless of what the public outside of their parties feel. These parties govern themselves vs govern the people,” McGregor wrote.

“Or me, 35. Young, active, passionate, fresh skin in the game. I listen. I support. I adapt. I have no affiliation/bias/favouritism toward any party. They would genuinely be held to account regarding the current sway of public feeling.

“I’d even put it all to vote. There’d be votes every week to make sure. I can fund. It would not be me in power as President, people of Ireland. It would be me and you.”

Which Party Would McGregor Join?

Unfortunately for McGregor, expressing his intent in running for the presidency and even getting on the ballot are two wildly different things.

Public support is not enough. Any presidential hopeful needs at least 20 nominations from Oireachtas members, or from four local authorities. 

This makes it incredibly difficult for an independent to run for the presidency, let alone a controversial figure like McGregor.

One alternative could be for the UFC star to join a political party and then gun for the nomination. Betting apps reckon he’s 100/1 to be the next Fianna Fáil leader. 

That suggests a slim chance, but joining the party may be enough for him to get the presidential nominations he desires.

Would Ireland Vote For McGregor?

Then there is the question of McGregor’s appeal to Irish voters. 

He’s one of the country’s most famous sports stars but recent polling found just 8% of the public would back him for office. A heavy 89% said they would not.

McGregor recently criticised the government’s response to the riots in Dublin, with police now investigating his social media posts.

He has hit back, arguing he is being made a “scapegoat” following the disorder in the capital.