Irish presidential candidate and former UFC champion Conor McGregor is emerging as a fearless voice within the crypto community. Following his public advocacy for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in Ireland, McGregor is traveling to El Salvador for a senior-level meeting with President Nayib Bukele, an outspoken Bitcoin ally.
The summit is set to be held at the Bitcoin Nation State Summit. The two leaders will apparently have discussions on how Ireland can take a cue from El Salvador’s move of piling up Bitcoin reserves.
The summit will be the backdrop for what McGregor and allies are terming a ‘nation-state Saylor play’. This a reference to Michael Saylor’s aggressive Bitcoin play via MicroStrategy. The plan is to leverage Bitcoin as a store of value to enhance Ireland’s financial sovereignty.
Journalist Max Keiser confirmed the agenda, with the Bitcoin accumulation strategy to be ‘Topic No.1’ at the summit. The meeting comes after McGregor’s public call to the Irish government, which called for the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to ‘give power back to the people.’
While Bitcoin is at the center of McGregor’s crypto plans, he is also looking at broader uses within the crypto universe. He thinks blockchain can introduce transparency and accountability into government operations.
“I see many transparent and trustless uses in crypto,” McGregor stated. “And I see Bitcoin as unchangeable people’s money.”
His remarks started discussions between Bitcoin maximalists and crypto pluralists. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson communicated, seemingly suggesting a meeting. Official verification for this information is not available.
McGregor’s crypto adventure has not been without setbacks. Only a few weeks ago, his memecoin launch did not take off in the market. But with Bitcoin now heading towards a new all-time high, McGregor seems to be shifting towards more serious and institutional-grade crypto projects.
There is also increasing speculation that he might suggest a wider Digital Asset Stockpile, including some cryptocurrencies in addition to Bitcoin.
Whether or not the Irish government adopts McGregor’s vision, his vocal call for Bitcoin adoption is placing Ireland on the international crypto map. El Salvador doubles down on its own Bitcoin accumulation.
Despite widespread pushback from international institutions like the IMF, McGregor’s future conversation with Bukele could be a turning point in how countries perceive digital assets. For the time being, Ireland’s crypto future might be in the hands of a fighter-turned-fintech champion.