Irish Senator Calls For UFC Ban Days Before Conor McGregor's Next Fight

Catherine Noone is none too popular today.

by Jay Anderson
Just days before Conor McGregor enters the cage against Dennis Siver in a fight that could very well be his ticket to a title shot against Jose Aldo (possibly in an Irish stadium), an Irish Senator has stated that she requested a ban on any future fights in Ireland - although she was quickly forced to rethink her position after her popularity nose-dived in the wake of her comments. Catherine Noone, the senator in question, told RTE that;
I have written to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport seeking his views on allowing this vile so-called sport to be given a platform and an audience here and fully believe that this event should not be licensed
Them's fighting words. McGregor is extremely popular in Ireland, and his first headlining fight there was a huge success on a national and international level. In speaking about banning the fight, Noone is risking the loss of millions of dollars for the local economy that would be raked in by hotels, bars, the fight venue, and ancillary services. Beyond that, she's offering a tired argument: fighting is "vile" and MMA a "so-called sport." The problem? Injuries in MMA are no worse than Rugby (a sport that is allowed in Ireland), and worse, she cites the New York ban on MMA as support that Ireland should do the same, apparently unaware that a) every other state now allows MMA, and b) New York's ban is all about politics and the Culinary Union being at war with the UFC's ownership group. After a deluge of criticism on social media, however, Noone has softened her stance, posting on Twitter;
Hands up - jumped the gun re UFC/MMA - lots of offers of training/education which I'll take up!
McGregor has business to take care of in Boston, but there's no question that he wants to fight in Ireland again. In this day and age, it's amazing that politicians bring their personal beliefs about various sports into the public realm, especially given how quick comments like these tend to spread across social media.
Contributor
Contributor

Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.