Yahoo Finance Conor McGregor donating €1 million to Irish hospitals to help fight coronavirus pandemic
Conor McGregor pledged to donate €1 million worth of supplies to local hospitals in Ireland amid the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, the UFC star announced on Twitter.
McGregor made the announcement while sharing screenshots of direct messages he shared with Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who had asked the 31-year-old to help encourage his fans to practice social distancing. McGregor shared his lengthy reply, which included his €1 million pledge to donate supplies to hospitals in Leinster province.
[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]
“Today I am purchasing myself €1 million worth of personal protective equipment to be deployed to all the fighting hospitals in the Leinster region, our most affected region to this date,” McGregor wrote, in part.
“Where we would be without these brave men and women, I do not know. May God bless over them and keep them safe!”
Thank you sincerely for your message, Minister Paschal Donohoe.
Here is my reply. pic.twitter.com/0NcnVgrKaA— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 25, 2020
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were more than 1,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ireland, according to The New York Times, and nearly 450,000 cases worldwide. McGregor has been vocal amid the pandemic, and urged Irish leaders to introduce a “full lockdown” to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“This fight needs us all,” McGregor said in a video on Facebook on Tuesday. “We are all in the red corner together awaiting the bell. So let’s gather together and ring the bell ourselves, including the people of the rest of the world. True lockdown must begin, and it must begin now. A lockdown together. A lockdown united … It is time for a full lockdown, and we are ready.”
McGregor last stepped into the Octagon in January, where he knocked out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds at UFC 246 in Las Vegas. He said shortly after that bout that he hoped to fight again before summer, however those plans will likely be scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seemingly paralyzed the sports world.
More from Yahoo Sports:
