On the fateful night of 12 July 2015, the MGM Grand Garden arena turned into a battlefield! As the arena painted itself in green, a hush fell over the crowd. Fans all over the world were on the edge of their seats, knowing that history was about to be made at UFC 189. At that moment, the deafening sound of “The Foggy Dew,” sung by legendary Irish singer Sinead O’Connor followed Conor McGregor’s thirst to clinch UFC history. It was a battle cry and in that moment, Mike Goldberg weaved a narrative that has since been recognized as part of the Irishman’s identity inside and outside the Octagon. “The fighting face of a nation!”

Each step was measured, and deliberate. His eyes were locked ahead, unwavering — a king marching to battle, ready to claim his throne. And even 10 years later, this star power extends far beyond the UFC cage. A living embodiment of this fact came recently in the form of admiration from U.S. President Donald Trump. During a recent interview, Trump revealed that McGregor is his “favorite Irishman,” a remark that quickly caught the attention of the former UFC double champion. Interestingly, Trump’s admiration isn’t just about McGregor’s fighting skills — it’s also about his iconic tattoos.

While praising Ireland for producing world-class fighters, Trump singled out McGregor, hailing him as the “best” among them, largely due to his distinct body art. “Well, I happened to like your best fighter. He’s got the best tattoos I have ever seen. Conor’s great, right? I’m talking about Conor,” Trump said during his meeting with the Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Unsurprisingly, the former UFC double champ took to his socials and responded to the praise with a message of gratitude. “Thank you Mr President,” McGregor wrote in an Instagram story.

For the unversed, McGregor’s tattoos are a reflection of his fierce personality and the philosophies that drive him. On his chest, he proudly sports a silverback gorilla wearing a crown and holding a heart in its mouth — a symbol of power and dominance. His belly features a striking tiger, which he has described as a symbol of bravery, perfectly capturing his fearless approach to life and combat. Above the tiger, McGregor has his name in bold capital letters “MCGREGOR,” while beneath it, his signature nickname “NOTORIOUS” is inked in sharp contrast.

On his left forearm, McGregor carries a tattoo of a cluster of roses, with a knife piercing through the middle — a representation of beauty intertwined with danger. Just above this tattoo, he bears the phrase, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast,” a motto often used by special forces, reflecting his belief in precision and patience in the pursuit of greatness. Additionally, the former double champ sports a pocket watch with the time set to ‘3:35 pm,’ though the significance of this remains a mystery.

Meanwhile, Conor McGregor wasn’t the only Irish athlete earning praise from the president. Even multiple time golf champion Rory McIlroy also got a shout-out from Donald Trump, deeming him as “fantastic”.

Meanwhile, Trump, who’s an avid UFC fan, may have claimed Conor McGregor is the best Irish fighter, but he’s not actually his favorite UFC fighter. It’s actually his biggest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. But despite that, the US President praised every one of Ireland’s combat sports athletes and gave his take on their success.

Much like Conor McGregor, Donald Trump lauded Irish fighters for their ‘toughness’

While the stereotype about Irishmen that they love to fight isn’t necessarily true, it’s not entirely false either when we take combat sports into account. Even before Conor McGregor, there were several top fighters in boxing like Barry McGuigan and Steve Collins, who put Irish fighters on the map. Donald Trump appeared to recognize that fact and believe the reason behind Ireland’s success in fighting is because of their rugged attitude.

“You have a lot of great Irish fighters actually. They’re great fighters. I don’t know what that is, but Ireland’s always had a lot of good fighters,” the 47th US President further stated. “You know why? ‘Cause they’re tough people. They’re smart people and they’re passionate people and they really have been over the years, so many.” Do you agree with Donald Trump’s assessment?

Slowly but surely, Irish fighters are making their mark in the UFC after Conor McGregor paved the way for them. Ian Garry stands out as the next big thing from Ireland who recently came extremely close to earning a 170lbs title shot. Moreover, Bellator 155fer Paul Hughes proved to be the toughest challenger for undefeated Dagestani juggernaut Usman Nurmagomedov in their title fight. So, what do you think about the quality of talent from Ireland? Let us know in the comments down below!