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Conor McGregor sends passionate battle cry to Ireland ahead of Euro 2016
As Ireland jumps into the deep end of the Euro 2016 pool starting Monday, Conor McGregor sent his home country's national team a passionate rallying cry to get them pumped up ahead of the first game.
McGregor has become a national star in Ireland ever since he debuted in the UFC and now the featherweight champion is turning his attention to the nation's soccer team as they look to capture their first ever Euro championship.
"These young pups you are going up against were still in their nappies when you were knee deep in the trenches, fighting for every single ball. Fighting for every, single second of every single game," McGregor said in a video released by RTE on Monday. "It's time to show these young boys this is man's work now.
"It's time to take these young boys back to school. The school of hard knocks. The school of Ireland."
Here is that rallying cry from @thenotoriousMMA to Ireland ahead of the start of #euro2016. We are here to take overhttps://t.co/wvOs5K8O4s
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 13, 2016
Like many of his fellow countrymen, McGregor will be supporting Ireland throughout the tournament with the first game kicking off on Monday against Sweden.
McGregor certainly has a way with words and he closed out his speech to the Irish national soccer team with a rallying cry that is probably familiar to everybody living in his country by now.
It's the same battle cry that McGregor shouted several years ago as he made his rise up the ranks in the UFC's featherweight division.
 "This is where we introduce the footballing world to the new Ireland. An Ireland made tough through battle. An Ireland made strong through sacrifice. An Ireland that makes no apologies for its success and no excuses for its failures. An Ireland that strives forward against all odds. An Ireland that stands up and fights," McGregor said.
"Always remember -- we are not here to take part. We are here to take over."
