UFC: Conor McGregor ‘praying daily’ for Italy in coronavirus struggle; urges world to ‘remain vigilant’

Irish mixed martial arts star McGregor posts photos of Christ silhouette and discusses love for Italy

McGregor also urges Ireland to contain its daily death toll or it runs the risk of ‘going in circles’

Reading Time:4 minutes

Conor McGregor kneels in the Octagon after he defeats Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in Las Vegas in January. Photo: AP

Published: 3:23pm, 23 Mar 2020Updated: 4:09pm, 23 Mar 2020

Former UFC double champion Conor McGregor says he is “praying daily” for those suffering from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Italy and the rest of the world.

Italian authorities announced on Friday that its total number of fatalities surpassed the official total of China’s for the first time. As of Monday, Italy had more than 59,000 documented cases of Covid-19, with a death toll nearing 5,500.

“I cannot get Italy out of my thoughts. Praying daily for this great nation that brought this world such amazing things,” the Irishman McGregor said in a series of Instagram posts alongside photos of what appears to be a silhouette of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Italy.

“From its people and their culture. To its architecture and design. Its style! Its cuisine! Its art! The list goes on and on and on! Italy and its people are class personified, through and through. Lord Jesus please save Italy and its people today and every day here forward.”

In a separate post, McGregor (22-4) shared his thoughts about Covid-19’s impact on his native Republic of Ireland and the rest of the world, alongside a video of his St Patrick’s Day visit to Chicago two years ago.