How do you rate the UFC’s recent headliners? From bad to miserable? Bryan Callen seems to think so. “They are dying for a Conor (McGregor). They are dying for… We want the bad boys, we want the Irish,” Callen lamented on The Fighter and The Kid podcast. And he’s not wrong. The UFC has its killers, but where are the megastars? While Dana White scours the roster looking for ‘a Conor,’ the real Conor is light-years away from the Octagon.

Or, as it turns out, Callen wasn’t alone in this take. Sitting alongside him was Brendan Schaub, who didn’t hold back on McGregor’s new trajectory. On his Thiccc Boy podcast, Schaub laid it out bluntly, “It’s over.” McGregor’s aspirations, that was once set on reclaiming UFC gold now seems glued to something else entirely – politics. “Shout out to Ireland and the new president, Conor McGregor,” Schaub quipped before getting serious. “When we see Conor McGregor run for president, I go, ‘Oh, he’s never fighting again.’” And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Running for the highest office in your country isn’t exactly a side gig you balance between sparring sessions.

Further, Schaub didn’t sugarcoat it. “That’s his main objective now. There’s no way you’re going to run for that position in your country but also train for a professional fight. Right?” The former UFC fighter-turned-comedian-turned-analyst laid it all out. “I feel like if he can do it, he can do it. But it’s over, isn’t it? You’ll see legend Conor McGregor run for president.”

And just like that, the final bell on McGregor’s fighting career may have rung, inside a cage. But not inside the political arena. Hence, Schaub then took aim at McGregor’s doubters. “I love how all the pundits and all the experts are like, ‘You don’t have a chance in winning.’ I’m like (hahahahaha) if you should learn anything from history, they said the same thing about Trump. I know he doesn’t have a background in politics, neither did Trump, and he’s been president twice now. You’d be surprised.” And just like that, we are taken back to St. Patrick’s Day in America. The moment ‘The Notorious’ made his first real political move.

Conor McGregor, Trump, and a shared love for tattoos?

If there’s one thing Conor McGregor knows how to do, it’s make headlines. “Oh, there’s so many great Irish people, are you kidding me?” Donald Trump said when asked about McGregor before immediately zooming in on what really mattered to him. “Well, I do happen to like your fighter, he’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen. Conor’s great, right? I’m talking about Conor.” Because, naturally, when discussing Ireland’s contributions to world history, we should definitely start with McGregor’s ink.

And just like that, the Irishman found himself standing beside Trump. What better setting for an impromptu political launch? The U.S. president and the Irish MMA superstar shared smiles, handshakes, and of all things, pinstripe suit talk. In a move that felt more like a younger sibling seeking approval, McGregor declared, “We consider America our big sibling. We wish to be taken care of by the big bro. You know, the United States should look after its little bro.”

Meanwhile, back in Ireland, that “we” didn’t seem to include the government. Prime Minister Micheal Martin and Minister Paschal Donohoe wasted no time distancing themselves from the flamboyant Irishman. “He doesn’t represent the men of this country.” Further, that sentiment was quickly backed by minister Simon Harris. But for a change he took a dig at McGregor’s “toxic masculinity.”

And yet, all of this seems to fall on deaf ears. McGregor, unfazed, has taken it upon himself to ‘fix the system.” As he put it, “Every available metric shows that the Government of Ireland currently has failed the people of Ireland.” Whether he’s a disruptor or just delusional, he’s playing the role of a great showman. Keeping his audience hooked every step of the way.

So, what’s next for McGregor? A title shot? A political campaign? A new BKFC deal? Whether inside the Octagon or on a debate stage, ‘The Notorious’ never plays it safe. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!