An Irish cartoonist has gone viral after posting a comic strip cataloguing Conor McGregor’s many controversies, timed to coincide with the MMA star’s long-awaited return to the UFC.
The work, drawn by Pan Cooke and shared on Instagram under the handle @thefakepan, depicts McGregor’s recent turn toward public religious devotion as little more than a rebranding exercise, one the artist frames as a calculated attempt to rehabilitate an image that has taken serious damage in recent years.    
What made the comic particularly striking to those who encountered it was Cooke’s deliberate choice of style. Rendered in the warm, rounded aesthetic of a Peanuts strip, the artwork’s cheerful visual language sits in sharp contrast to the gravity of the events it describes.
Cooke confirmed in the comments that this was entirely intentional. “I sort of planned on doing it that way to be a commentary on how everything he’s done has been trivialised or brushed over,” the artist wrote. “I don’t know if I achieved that, but that was the intention.”
McGregor is scheduled to face Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas in July 2026, his first bout in five years. Rather than a quiet comeback, McGregor has leaned into a very public redemption narrative, complete with media appearances, religious messaging, and a charm offensive that many observers found difficult to reconcile with his recent legal history.
McGregor was found liable for s3xual assault in a civil case in Ireland. His subsequent appeal reportedly failed. Those facts have not slowed his re-emergence in mainstream media, a reality that Cooke’s comic puts front and centre, and one that has left many Irish people furious.
“He is absolutely our worst export,” wrote one Irish commenter. “An irredeemable loser and sc*mbag. My head is scrambled that he was on a mainstream talk-show after the Nikita Hand case. It’s actually jaw-dropping when the facts of the case are right there.”
The talk show in question was The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which aired an interview with McGregor ahead of his UFC comeback. The segment drew significant backlash of its own.
Fallon welcomed McGregor warmly, the two reminisced about a previous night out together, and McGregor arrived bearing gifts from his cigar brand, Unapologetic. The conversation covered his four children, his five-year absence from the sport, and his new contract with the UFC.
“I’m born for this,” McGregor told Fallon. “I’m not born for anything else. I have had my hand in a few pies. I’ve done some things. I’ve done a movie here and there. I’ve done other things. But fighting is my bread and butter. It’s what lights a fire in my belly.”
He also spoke about bringing his children to the event. “I want to show them what discipline and what dedication and commitment to your craft can achieve,” he said. “They’re going to see their father walk out and see the adoration of 20,000 or 30,000 fans and a great performance. I want to show them that this is what hard work gets you.”
The warmth of the exchange was not well received. “You have a daughter, Jimmy Fallon, what the f**k is wrong with you,” one viewer wrote online. “It is crazy to me that this man has continued to be platformed and praised despite what he did.”
The reaction to Cooke’s comic largely echoed that sentiment, with the comment section filling quickly with Irish voices expressing particular frustration.
“We h*te him here,” wrote one. “He is such an embarrassment.”
One commenter noted the bitter irony of McGregor’s religious turn in that context: “I need Piers Morgan to ask him which Bible verse helped him through.”
One commenter noted that McGregor’s recent marriage, after years with his long-term partner, appeared conveniently timed to project a more wholesome image: “He finally married his partner due to the pressure of needing to look like a good guy.”
