MMA Fighter Goes On Anti-Immigration Rant At White House, Irish PM Reacts

<p>Ireland’s Taoiseach (Irish PM) Miche&aacute;l Martin has denounced anti-immigration comments made by Mixed Martial Arts fighter Conor McGregor during his visit to White House.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The MMA fighter visited the White House before a St Patrick&rsquo;s Day meeting with Donald Trump where he said “Ireland is on the cusp of losing its Irishness.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>He also claimed that an &ldquo;illegal immigration racket&rdquo; was &ldquo;running ravage on the country&rdquo;.</p>
<p>Miche&aacute;l Martin, the taoiseach condemned the comments by the 36-year-old former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion who was singled out by Trump as one of his favourite Irish people.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Conor McGregor&rsquo;s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick&rsquo;s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland,&rdquo; the Irish prime minister said on X. &ldquo;St Patrick&rsquo;s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship,” he added.&nbsp;</p>
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<h2>McGregor At The White House</h2>
<p>Dressed in a green business suit to mark Ireland’s national day, McGregor reached the White House at Trump’s invitation and participated in an impromptu Q&amp;A session with reporters, reported The Guardian.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop,&rdquo; he said, speaking in the White House briefing room alongside the president&rsquo;s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.</p>
<p>He further said he was &nbsp;&ldquo;here to raise the issue and highlight it&rdquo; adding that he would be listening to Trump on immigration.&nbsp;</p>
<p>McGregor, who was found liable for a sexual assault case last year by a civil court, was among the invitees at an official pre-inauguration party in Washington in January. He has been one of the biggest stars of the UFC, which was founded by the Trump ally Dana White.</p>
<p>In November, he was ordered by a civil court in Ireland to pay nearly &euro;250,000 in damages to a woman who said he &ldquo;brutally raped and battered&rdquo; her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018.</p>
<p>The MMA fighter had claimed that they had consensual sex and is appealing against the verdict with a hearing in Dublin&rsquo;s high court due later this week.</p>