Mixed martial arts fans are used to UFC superstar Conor McGregor sending out attack tweets at his Octagon contemporaries. However, in a divergence from his norms, the former two-division champion kept busy on Thursday by going after Irish health officials and bureaucrats amid a COVID-19 surge in the country.
Ireland is having a difficult time right now dealing with the ongoing pandemic. Virus case numbers are surging, and Prime Minister Michael Martin informed citizens Thursday that the government would be reintroducing certain restrictions to curb a growing problem that is putting a strain on the national healthcare system.
“If the number of Covid infections and hospitalizations continues to grow at the rate we are currently seeing, no health system anywhere in the world would be able to cope,” Martin said.
Conor McGregor after Irish Health Service Executive boss
Well, one person not thrilled with the news of bars closing at midnight and movie theaters requiring proof of vaccination is McGregor. Following the news, the “Notorious” one went to his Twitter and decided to take aim at the chief of the Irish Health Service Executive, Paul Reid. Claiming the high-ranking health official was not doing the job he is paid “half a mil” to do.
“Half a mill per annum our “chief” is on. Not including perk. All I have seen from this individual is the same identical statement over and over and over again,” McGregor wrote. “Our healthcare system is under strain.” You are not paid to make this statement. You are paid to fix it! Do. Your. Job!”
Reid reportedly earned over US $477,000 in 2020.
On Thursday, Reid stated that the country’s health system is facing the “highest level of impact and risk we’ve had to manage since Covid landed here.” Over 600 people have been admitted to hospitals for COVID-related health problems, which is an increase of 20% from the previous.
McGregor calls Leo Varadkar ‘poisonous’ after comments on CNN
However, McGregor (22-6) did not stop there. He also fired some shots at Leo Varadkar. A long-time politician who conducted an interview with CNN on Thursday, and looked to put some blame for the recent surge on unvaccinated individuals. Claiming the 5% of Irish citizens that are not fully vaccinated “are causing the trouble” as hospitals try and deal with a large influx of infected citizens.
“Poisonous individual! Buffoon. Get this blithering fool off my screen. Show pony phony,” McGregor wrote.
McGregor, 33, is in the midst of recovery from a fractured leg he suffered during his July UFC 264 loss to Dustin Poirier. The defeat was a second straight technical knockout loss to the Louisiana native.
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