Conor McGregor will run for the Irish presidency in elections later this year, the controversial former fighter said on Thursday, as he announced his candidacy for the largely ceremonial role on an anti-immigration stance.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) star and former UFC champion Conor McGregor has announced his intention to run for the Irish presidency, pledging to challenge the government’s stance on the EU Migration Pact and advocating for a public referendum on the issue.

Who else will stand up to Government and oppose this bill?” he wrote in the lengthy post. “Any other Presidential candidate they attempt to put forward will be of no resistance to them.