From conquering the MMA world to building a business empire, stepping into fight promotion, and even teasing a run for Irish presidency, Conor McGregor seems to be diving headfirst into everything except fighting. The former two-division UFC champ hasn’t set foot in the Octagon since his gruesome 2021 leg injury against Dustin Poirier, but it’s not rehab holding him back—it’s his relentless schedule. Amid this whirlwind, McGregor may have just stirred global outrage among billions of Christians with his latest stunt. Let’s dive in!

But how did McGregor, who is himself a devout Catholic Christian, do such a thing, you ask? ‘The Notorious’, in his usual amusement, posted an AI-generated photo of himself dressed as the Pope, addressing a crowd of Christians. Clearly meant as a joke, the image was intended to suggest—humorously—that he had been chosen as the new Pope. He captioned it as, “Surprise surprise motherf—— the king is back!”

This caught all of his fans off guard as they were not expecting Conor McGregor to touch upon something as sensitive as the selection of a new pope. Well, are we really shocked by this? The Irishman is known for throwing such banter regardless of creed, religion, or anything else.

The community is surprised because the former dual-weight champion is himself one of the most devoted followers of Christ. Speaking of Italy, McGregor once praised them for their strong faith in Jesus. “Italy, a strong Catholic country, a Roman Catholic country. I came here with my son, my newborn son, Rian McGregor, and we christened him in the Vatican.”

He further added, “So, we are a very religious family. We came to Italy, and we christened our son. That was my experience and relationship with Italy to date.” McGregor is a devout Christian and has never been seen mocking his religion, but this time was different, as fans called out the former dual-weight champion over his misadventures.

The MMA community schooled Conor McGregor for cosplaying the Pope

Starting off, a social media user believes that this comment from the former dual-weight champion is straight out, “Disrespectful.” Why is that, you ask? Well, it’s because Pope Francis recently passed away due to declining health, and the Vatican has announced Robert Prevost as the new Pope, Leo XIV. It was the sheer precision of the timing that irked the fans.

Furthermore, another social media user emphasized, “Stick to President Conor.” But one thing should be noted: McGregor might not be able to succeed in his presidential run. Why? Well, he might have been favoured by POTUS, Donald Trump. But the chances of making the ballot paper in Ireland’s presidential poll are close to zero, experts tell Euroverify.

Another social media user asserted, “Thought he vanished for good, but look who popped back up like nothing ever happened.” Furthermore, another social media user asserted that Conor McGregor should just stick to the elections, “Nah, we need you as president bro.”

Well, during his conversation with Tucker Carlson, McGregor did admit that he might not be able to run for the Irish presidency, “You have to get four county councils which are controlled by the government parties, or you have to get 20 nominations of the Oireachtas which are all mostly party affiliates. Can’t just run for president.” When Carlson asked, How is this democracy, McGregor responded with, “We are not a democratic country.”

Interestingly, the Irishman was accused by one of the fans of copying Donald Trump’s tactics, “You have nothing original anymore. Just copying Trump. An ant at his heel.” At last, a fan ascertained that Conor McGregor should just shut it as he doesn’t represent the entire Christianity, “You don’t represent Christians speaking (or acting) like you do.”

As the days go by, Conor McGregor’s return to the MMA scene seems increasingly unlikely. Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on his recent antics? Share your opinion in the comments below.