Former martial arts star Conor McGregor unveils business link with Trump Jr as he plots comeback

Former martial arts combatant and 1 of Ireland's biggest family names overseas Conor McGregor announced a caller business business pinch Donald Trump Jr connected Tuesday arsenic he continues to crippled his return to sports promotion aft a surgery limb forced him retired of action much than 4 years ago.

"Amazing news. Welcome aboard my friend, and now business partner Donald Trump Jr, to our highly skilled squad astatine MMA.Inc," McGregor wrote successful a station connected X.

"With a business powerhouse for illustration Don Jr joining our team, we are group to amplify our connection and accelerate our commercialism for illustration ne'er before! The Trumps and McGregors, a genuinely iconic team. Ireland and America's profoundly rooted relations will beryllium stronger than ever nether my tenure, Ireland."

McGregor didn't springiness immoderate different specifications astir what precisely Trump Jr’s domiciled successful his mixed martial arts institution would be, but this isn’t his first brushwood pinch nan US First Family.

US President Donald Trump announced connected Monday that nan White House would play big to a UFC cage conflict connected nan South Lawn adjacent year.

Trump first teased nan mixed martial arts (MMA) arena successful July, saying that he wanted much than 20,000 fans to be arsenic portion of his country’s celebrations to people 250 years since independence.

White House comeback?

Almost instantly aft that announcement, McGregor registered his liking successful competing successful nan event, arguably seeing it arsenic nan cleanable high-profile venue to people his comeback.

He has besides reportedly returned to training and registered again pinch nan Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) supplier testing pool.

But immoderate are not convinced astir nan imaginable of a return to fighting aliases that McGregor’s high-profile associates will make overmuch difference.

"He peaked astir 2015, 2016 erstwhile he held 2 belts astatine different weights and location was McGregor mania astir him astatine that stage, particularly successful nan US," said Ken Early, a sports journalist pinch nan Second Captains podcast.

"He realised nan imaginable of fame, and really large he could get erstwhile it wasn’t that evident astatine nan clip that MMA fights could gain truthful overmuch money. He managed to get $100 cardinal aft a conflict pinch Floyd Mayweather," he explained.

"He went retired of power aft that pinch brawls, fights, aggression and past nan civilian proceedings for intersexual assault."

Legal troubles

In July, McGregor mislaid a civilian assemblage entreaty against a uncovering that he had raped Nikita Hand in a Dublin edifice room successful 2018.

He was ordered to salary £206,000 (€237,946) successful damages positive costs to Hand but his lawyers based on that his answers to constabulary shouldn’t person been put earlier nan jury.

The 3 judges astatine nan Dublin Court of Appeal dismissed nan case.

And astatine nan opening of this year, a suit was revenge against McGregor successful a tribunal successful Florida, accusing him of sexually assaulting a 49-year-old female successful a toilet stall astatine nan Kaseya Centre. That lawsuit, which is ongoing, alleges that McGregor "attempted to forcefully spot his unprotected penis into [the victim's] anus without her consent."

But ineligible troubles aside, McGregor continues to swipe shoulders pinch immoderate of nan world's astir powerful figures.

Aside from teaming up pinch nan president's son, McGregor was invited by Trump Sr to nan White House connected St Patrick’s Day successful March this year, wherever he caused contention successful his autochthonal Ireland by complaining astir immigration, prompting Irish governmental leaders to opportunity he doesn’t speak for Ireland.

"There are issues astir migration and lodging successful Ireland, but group who ballot present thin to beryllium centrist. There's simply nary awesome support for McGregor’s views," said Professor Gary Murphy, from nan School of Law and Government astatine Dublin City University. 

McGregor was besides a impermanent astatine Trump's inauguration successful January.

Previously, he besides courted leaders successful nan East, sparking contention successful 2018 aft posting a photograph of himself pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin aft accepting his invitation to be nan World Cup last successful Moscow.

During that visit, McGregor called Putin "one of nan top leaders of our time."

And much recently, nan erstwhile mixed martial creator shared images of a FaceTime telephone he had pinch SpaceX and Tesla main Elon Musk, but neither revealed immoderate specifications astir what that telephone was about.

Bid for nan presidency

In summation to rubbing shoulders pinch politicians, McGregor has besides made a bid to get successful connected nan crippled himself by announcing his volition to tally for president of Ireland.

Earlier this week, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris blasted that notion, saying McGregor “represents nan very worst of us” and had a “negligible chance” of being nominated.

That didn’t extremity Elon Musk from endorsing McGregor for nan presidency connected Monday, saying successful an X post, “Conor McGregor for President to prevention Ireland.”

But contempt nan proud announcements and personage endorsements, it’s improbable that McGregor is successful pinch a changeable astatine nan apical of Ireland’s governmental tree.

McGregor emerged arsenic a figurehead for Ireland's acold correct and made headlines successful March erstwhile he announced connected Instagram he would tally for nan presidency connected an anti-immigration platform.

But while that news was lapped up by nan press, respective media outlets grounded to explicate that his chances of getting his sanction connected nan ballot insubstantial are highly slim.

The Irish president is straight elected by nan Irish group for a seven-year term.

A statesmanlike nominee has to beryllium an Irish national complete nan property of 35, criteria which McGregor meets. However, each nominee must besides either beryllium nominated by astatine slightest 20 members of nan Oireachtas, nan Irish parliament, aliases by astatine slightest 4 of Ireland's 31 section authorities.

Eoin O'Malley, professor successful governmental subject astatine Dublin City University, told Euronews nan chances of McGregor passing these thresholds are "exceedingly unlikely."

There are nary 20 Oireachtas members who would backmost his bid, O'Malley explained, and while councils person successful nan past supported candidates' bids, McGregor is "too arguable a figure" for this to hap again.

"This is nan highest domiciled successful nan land. They are nan first personification of Ireland. truthful we person put successful law value controls," Jennifer Kavanagh, rule teacher astatine South East Technological University, told Euronews.

"The parliamentary way is going to beryllium beautiful overmuch locked successful by governmental statement allegiances. The section authority way is beautiful overmuch a free for each and we person had immoderate very quirky candidates successful nan past."

"But remember, that individual is not very celebrated successful Ireland," she added. "It mightiness look for illustration he's very celebrated extracurricular of Ireland. Within Ireland he is not that popular. He's surely not arsenic celebrated arsenic definite societal media platforms would for illustration to effort and make outsiders think."

McGregor whitethorn person been nan first UFC combatant to clasp championships successful 2 weight classes simultaneously, but it appears his statesmanlike bid whitethorn beryllium a lawsuit of him punching supra his weight.