UFC fighter Conor McGregor endorses Bitcoin reserve in Ireland presidential campaign

input: UFC fighter turned Irish political candidate Conor McGregor has endorsed the idea of building a Bitcoin reserve in his country to give more “power back to the people.”

Conor McGregor, the UFC fighter turned Irish political candidate, has endorsed the idea of building a Bitcoin (BTC) reserve in his country to give more “power back to the people.”

“Crypto in it's [sic] origin was founded to give power back to the people. An Irish Bitcoin strategic reserve will give power to the people’s money,” McGregor wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on May 9.

McGregor said he would discuss his plans in more detail in an upcoming X spaces.

The former UFC champion’s post prompted responses from some of the Bitcoin industry’s most prominent leaders.

“We need the greatest minds for this BTC Reserve. Message me and lets [sic] chat on my space,” McGregor said in response to Bitcoiner and host of The Pomp Podcast, Anthony Pompliano.

One of US President Donald Trump’s crypto advisors, David Bailey, also reached out, to which McGregor responded: “David message me, let’s discuss your ideas!”

McGregor announced his independent candidacy for the Irish presidency in late March.

He is running on a platform of anti-immigration policies and combating crime.

Ireland’s next presidential election must take place by Nov. 11, 2025, as the term of the current President, Michael D. Higgins, is set to end the day after.

Establishing a Bitcoin reserve — let alone one coming from a minor, independent party — would be no easy feat.

Despite recent regulatory progress, the US, El Salvador and Bhutan are among the few countries that have established a Bitcoin reserve to date.

McGregor’s political visibility was recently boosted by a trip to the White House, where he met Trump and received his support.

However, McGregor is facing intense scrutiny in Ireland, having recently been found guilty of sexual assault in a civil case — a conviction which he has since appealed — while also previously being investigated for hate speech crimes.

McGregor's last crypto endeavor failed

McGregor's push for a Bitcoin reserve comes a little over a month after the McGregor-backed REAL project failed to attract sufficient funding in its token launch pre-sale, prompting a full refund to all token bidders.

The team behind the project, Real World Gaming, only raised $392,315 over a 28-hour presale on April 5 and 6, less than half of the $1 million minimum requirement that it initially set.