Conor McGregor Declares Presidential Run, as Ex-Teammate Reflects on Khabib Loss
Conor McGregor says he’s serious about running for the highest office in Ireland — and now he’s trying to make it official.
The former UFC double champion posted a petition to social media on Monday declaring his intent to run for president of Ireland.
McGregor’s initial announcement came back in March, just days after a high-profile meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Since then, speculation around his political ambitions has only grown.
But as McGregor sets his sights on politics, one of his former friends and teammates, Artem Lobov, is pulling back the curtain on the mindset McGregor had heading into one of the most pivotal moments of his fighting career — his 2018 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
According to Lobov, McGregor simply wasn’t taking the fight seriously.
“I know that fight bothers Conor because he didn’t train at all for that fight,” Lobov told Ariel Helwani. “Twice a week he was training for Khabib. I tried to get him to [Las Vegas] and said ‘We have to do this,’ and he told me to f–k off. He just didn’t want to do it.
“He was in the wrong mindset, the party mindset,” Lobov added. “Training twice a week and that’s it. So when I saw the fight, I was like ‘Oh my god, if only you trained four times a week, you probably would’ve beaten him. Imagine him in a full camp. The Conor that fought Eddie Alvarez, imagine that Conor fighting Khabib. That’s what I want to see.”
(Quotes via Bloody Elbow)
McGregor made history in 2016 by becoming the first UFC fighter to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. But after reaching that pinnacle, he stepped away from MMA to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., earning over $100 million in the process. That payday, many believe, shifted McGregor’s priorities away from competition.
Lobov — who is currently involved in a lawsuit against McGregor over profits from the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand — claims that despite the tension between them, he still hopes to see McGregor back in top form.
“I would love to see him come back,” Lobov said. “Because I feel that if he was at 100 percent, we would be able to bring Khabib back as well.”
Lobov is scheduled to come out of retirement to fight Zubaira Tukhugov at a PFL event in October. His legal battle with McGregor over Proper 12 is still awaiting a trial date.
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