Being honest, this almost started as a bit of a joke.
McGregor beat Jose Aldo, made history, won his first UFC belt and it was truly spectacular.
The scenes that unfolded that night in Las Vegas back in December will be remembered forever and there was a bit of laughable irony that none of our politicians were jumping on the bandwagon like they would for so many other sportsmen and women.
At the time though, we just saw the funny side of it. Myself and my colleague Patrick McCarry – forever tiring out this skit where we’re proud of our working class backgrounds and how they have kept us grounded and ‘real’ and that’s why we work so hard and all those other generalisations (we’re not actually that funny) – we were trying to claim that our working class hero Conor McGregor was being overlooked because of of his background. Our background. And we were feigning insult.
It obviously wasn’t the case but we got a giggle out of it anyway even if nobody else did and it was still curious as to what the hell was the silence from Leinster House all about.
Why the hell are our politicians so reluctant to credit people's champion Conor McGregor? https://t.co/kykNeV8VyI pic.twitter.com/qp6RMImQdx
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 14, 2015
It wasn’t lost on us that this guy had just become a world champion and should’ve at least been given some form of official recognition from those running the country but it was easy to see that politicians just didn’t want the hassle that could come with condoning the sport when, for some, it is still a contentious issue.
But now it’s time to get real.
This man is a two-weight world champion. He hasn’t just put MMA on the map, he’s put it all over the bloody map and he has represented Ireland on the global stage with simply stunning feats and jaw-dropping ambition.
What he can do with his body is incredible. It defies human logic – at least how we thought men were supposed to move – and it goes and pioneers moments that will be remembered for a long time. And it does it repeatedly.
Let’s reiterate though – he’s a two-weight world champion. A world f**king champion. In two divisions. He’s broken every UFC record there is to break – he’s broken the Madison Square Garden gate record, for crying out loud.
Imagine an Irish boxer had won at MSG. Imagine that. Whenever any of them has any hint of success at the Olympics, politicians are falling over themselves to be the first to congratulate them and rightly so. Whenever the rugby team achieves any kind of relative success, we never hear the end of it and yet here is a man at the top of the world – the undisputed best in his chosen field and there is absolutely nothing for hours from any of the men or women representing the people of Ireland.
It took Michael Healy-Rae to break the eerie silence.
And Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams wasn’t far behind. Not that there was a queue forming.
Well done Conor McGregor. Go n'eirigh an t'adh leat.
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) November 13, 2016
Again, the problem is clear. At least the fear is.
@Bogsideandproud how can you condone this legalised thuggery. This is not the message we want to send out.
— christopher slavin (@christophersla1) November 13, 2016
Conor McGregor is a legitimate sportsman and he’s one of the best. It’s taken a lot of people a while to come around to him and some still don’t really like or care about mixed martial arts and that’s fine, but most can at least recognise what he’s doing.
Whatever you think of his soundbites or the sport, a hell of a lot of people are proud of this man and the fact that he represents this country. Imagine one day maybe saying the same about our politicians.
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