Former UFC champion Conor McGregor found himself on the receiving end of a brutal social media takedown this week from Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham, forcing the fighter to delete his controversial post.
The exchange began when Cunningham – best known for playing Davos Seaworth in the HBO series – shared a post about Israel’s seizure of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. McGregor, who has increasingly involved himself in political discussions, responded with a mocking comment: “I thought you were on the boat Liamo, what happened? You forgot your sea goggles? You get sea sick off the gargle? Bottler.”
Cunningham delivered a cutting response that quickly went viral: “Didn’t know you could read and write Conor. Thought you used your hands to tap out” – a clear reference to McGregor’s infamous 2018 submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
The Irish fighter, who hasn’t competed since July 2021, promptly deleted his original post, continuing his pattern of removing controversial social media content after backlash. McGregor has recently expressed interest in running for Irish presidency, though this latest exchange highlights the potential pitfalls of his combative online persona.
The actor’s retort struck particularly hard as it recalled one of the lowest moments in McGregor’s fighting career. His submission to Nurmagomedov’s neck crank remains one of his most high-profile defeats, followed by two knockout losses to Dustin Poirier in their subsequent trilogy fights.
Cunningham, meanwhile, has established himself as a vocal humanitarian activist, with his Gaza-related posts reflecting his ongoing advocacy work. The sharp contrast between their public personas – the brash MMA star versus the politically engaged actor – made the exchange particularly noteworthy.
This incident marks yet another example of McGregor’s controversial social media presence, where his provocative posts often generate significant attention before being deleted. His online activity continues to draw scrutiny even as his fighting career remains on hiatus.