Chael Sonnen is curious about the possibility of Conor McGregor entering politics.
Recently, Conor McGregor, known as “The Notorious,” declared his intention to run for President of Ireland. While the Irish president`s role is largely symbolic, McGregor has been openly critical of the current government and promised significant changes if elected.
In a video reaction, Sonnen considered McGregor`s reasoning and admitted that if he were an Irish voter, he would consider voting for McGregor.
Sonnen questioned whether McGregor is serious about politics and if he could actually win in Ireland. He acknowledged that while some aspects of McGregor appeal to him, many people in Ireland are not fans. Sonnen pointed out that McGregor`s image might be complicated by him owning property outside of Ireland, which could be seen as contradictory to his nationalistic stance.
“So I don’t know that Conor could get elected and I don’t know that that’s my business. I don’t get a vote; if I did, I actually would vote for him.”
McGregor, a former UFC champion in two weight classes and a major figure in combat sports, is considering politics after a long break from fighting. His last fight was at UFC 264 in July 2021, where he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier. Since then, McGregor has been recovering, pursuing other interests, and dealing with legal issues.
His planned return at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler in June was cancelled due to a toe injury. Sonnen has previously expressed doubts about McGregor`s return to MMA and is unsure whether politics or fighting is now more likely for him.
“Conor McGregor is going to run for the president of Ireland,” Sonnen said. “Conor McGregor is going to return to the UFC. Those are both ridiculous statements founded on no bed of truth or support. Those are both statements that are co-signed, supported and backed up by a grand total of no one. But does that make them untrue? Does it make one of them less true?”
Sonnen believes McGregor`s lack of political experience isn`t necessarily a disadvantage. He noted that many politicians are not experts, and sometimes a candidate`s charisma and communication skills are more important than deep political knowledge.
Sonnen also wondered if McGregor`s political ambitions are related to his inactivity in the UFC, suggesting that perhaps McGregor or the UFC are struggling to reach an agreement for his return. Sonnen speculated that the UFC might need to adjust the terms of McGregor`s fights to make a comeback more appealing to him, possibly suggesting shorter fight durations.
“I don’t think that Conor has the grit to bite down one more time, to prepare his body for a worse case, which is to have to defend itself against unarmed attack at all times and in his spot, main event, that’s up for 25 minutes,” Sonnen said. “That is a ridiculous thing to ask any human to do. And when the UFC is scratching their head and scratching their head and banging their head on the wall and they can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong and why they can’t get Conor to sign, they can change that one thing. They can make it three five-minute rounds and your likelihood just by the numbers of getting Conor to put his name on the paper will go up 70 percent.
“The UFC did not get Khabib to go do fight No. 30 and to this day this is because they did not have enough commas and zeros, when in fact the number they needed to change was the weight class of 155 is what got you the ‘no.’ If you would have made it 170, you’d have got Khabib to 30-0. Numbers matter. Conor, two jobs, president and cagefighter. Which one is less likely?”
Wesley Dunham