Tony McGregor asked the Ukrainian leader not to badmouth his son
Conor McGregor at the F1 Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, Monaco, May 28, 2022. © Mario Renzi / Formula 1 / Getty Images
The father of MMA star Conor McGregor has lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling him to stick to fighting “your war.” Tony McGregor was responding to a report that Zelensky accused his son of not supporting Kiev during the Russian military campaign against the country.
“Zelensky, fight your war,” McGregor wrote on social media, as quoted by the Irish press.
“And keep my son’s name out yo [sic] f**king mouth,” he added.
The rant came after the Irish media quoted a politician who claimed that the Ukrainian leader had criticized Conor McGregor for his stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“He felt that [McGregor] wasn’t being supportive of Ukraine,” Mark Daly, the speaker of Seanad Eireann, the upper house of Ireland’s parliament, told reporters after his trip to Kiev last month. “This man is fighting a war but he knows what’s going on all around the world, including in Ireland.”
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According to reports, Zelensky said he was a fan of the MMA fighter until a smiling McGregor posed for a photo with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Moscow.
The Irish Independent said Tony McGregor responded to the report by sharing a 2019 photo of Zelensky posing at an international summit alongside Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Zelensky has not commented on McGregor’s remarks, but had previously thanked Western celebrities, including musicians Ed Sheeran and Paul McCartney, for showing support for Ukraine.
Conor McGregor described Putin in 2018 as “one of the greatest leaders of our time,” adding that he was “honored to attend such a landmark event” with the Russian leader as the country was hosting the world’s top football tournament.
The fighter also claimed to have given Putin the “very first bottle” of his whiskey brand.
