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A top UFC executive opened up on Conor McGregor's aspiration to become the next president of Ireland. Elsewhere, Leon Edwards was forced to swallow a bitter pill by Sean Brady after suffering his first submission defeat in London.
Here are today's top combat sports updates, presented by Sportskeeda MMA.
David Shaw reacts to Conor McGregor's political aspirations
Conor McGregor wants to run for Ireland's president in the 2025 elections. He has voiced his discontentment about how his country is being run, with repeated emphasis on undocumented immigration.
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He visited U.S. President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other dignitaries on St. Patrick's Day and gave a speech about his political aspirations. Following the trip to the White House, McGregor seemingly confirmed his venture into politics on social media, requesting Irish citizens to vote for him.
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A reporter asked UFC's Executive Vice President David Shaw to comment on McGregor's decision at the UFC London post-fight press conference. Shaw said:
"I'm not really sure what to say about that one. I think he'll do a great job, he seems pretty passionate. He had a very impassioned speech at the White House, he raised a number of very important topics, and let's just see, I mean, I know he's like pushing for... the ultimate democracy so let's see what the people think."
Paddy Pimblett breaks down at UFC London
Paddy Pimblett attended UFC London on Saturday night at The O2 Arena to support his teammate and longtime close friend, Molly McCann. 'Meatball' went up against debutant Alexia Thainara and came up short, tapping out to a first-round rear-naked choke submission.
After the loss, McCann announced her retirement from the sport in a heartfelt speech during the octagon interview with Michael Bisping. In the middle of her speech, the camera panned to Pimblett, who was in tears and looked visibly emotional.
Take a look at Molly McCann's speech and Paddy Pimblett's reaction below:
Sean Brady gives Leon Edwards a reality check
Leon Edwards and his team were repeatedly asked about his loss to Belal Muhammad during media interviews leading up to UFC London. It didn't sit well with Sean Brady, who warned 'Rocky' about looking past him.
After becoming the first fighter to finish Leon Edwards in the UFC, Brady touched on the subject again at the post-fight press conference:
"Yeah, I think he was too worried about Belal [Muhammad]. He was too worried about how tall I am. He was too worried about a bunch of other things that didn't matter. And yet it showed, he got smoked. So he should have been more focused on this fight."
Brady also weighed in on what cost Edwards the fight inside the octagon:
"He hit me with a nice elbow. ... He's like a pretty striker. He likes to have his range and have things go on his terms. And once they start going off his terms, he does dumb sh*t, like shoot on me, and then it goes downhill from there."
Fans also criticized Edwards' strategy for the fight, especially the takedown attempted shortly after he had hit Brady with an incredible elbow.
