MMA fighter Conor McGregor has once again made a spectacle of himself.
The Irishman’s shambolic attempt at throwing the opening pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago last night has gone viral.
Stepping up to the plate to throw the ceremonial pitch at the Major League Baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins, the 33-year-old UFC star loosened his shoulders before hurling the ball — but he couldn’t have been further from the mark.
Instead of the ball landing in the catcher’s glove or, er, anywhere remotely near the catcher, it instead went wide far off to the right before rebounding off the wall.
Conor McGregor with an immediate all-time iconic first pitch 🎯💰pic.twitter.com/GGMHhYoOSc
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 21, 2021
The video, which has now been viewed four million times was reshared by FOX Sports who poked fun at the throw, calling it an “immediate all-time iconic first pitch” along with a target and cash bag emoji.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter ‘The Viral Democracy’
Speaking to The Mac Life after coming off the field, McGregor laughed and branded it “the most devastating first pitch ever seen in the iconic Wrigley Field”.
The reporter said: “I say this pitch is a little high, you say it’s perfect.”
McGregor replied: “Well the venom is there, the power is there, it’s a little off accurate-wise but I’m on the one leg, you can see me base fully on the left leg that was just recently injured. I’m happy with that, I’ll take that on board.
“If you could measure the power, I don’t think there was much power difference between mine and them out there,” he said pointing to the professionals. “Just the accuracy was a little off.”
Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) on his first pitch: "The most devastating first pitch ever seen! The venom is there, the power is there." pic.twitter.com/GTZQDqUbeU
— The Mac Life (@TheMacLife) September 22, 2021
He said it was either “lob it friendly” or aim to take the catcher “off his feet”.
The throw was so friendly in fact, that it didn’t risk knocking the catcher over by a longshot.
In a close-up of the throw, catcher Patrick Wisdom is seen smiling before McGregor pitches the ball. Once he flings it, Wisdom’s face drops in shock as his eyes follow the ball hurtling towards the crowd.
😀😲😱 pic.twitter.com/gMAv72Xybq
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 22, 2021
McGregor goes on to comment: “For me [Wrigley Field] just feels like one big Irish pub with a field in the middle of it.”
“For me, it just feels like one big Irish pub.”
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 22, 2021
Full interview with @TheNotoriousMMA ▶️ https://t.co/doxpIJMdyF pic.twitter.com/vt0hvHouz4
The gaffe led to McGregor being compared to 50 Cent, who also got roasted after his disastrous pitch at a 2014 New York Mets game.
Not known for his subtlety, the rapper blamed the gaffe on “excessive masturbation”.
Since last night, McGregor has been absolutely roasted on Twitter.
Fellow UFC fighter Justin Gaethje said the video had him in stitches, whereas Barstool Sports branded it the worst first pitch “in the history of Wrigley field.”
I cannot stop laughing at this. Every MMA fighter that has represented us doing this has looked terrible but this takes the cake. https://t.co/n6Ck9AQ7wG
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) September 22, 2021
Conor McGregor Has Thrown The Worst First Pitch In The History Of Wrigley Field https://t.co/0s33umnawW pic.twitter.com/AdAn1dStwU
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 22, 2021
50 cent has arguably the worst first pitch in MLB history.
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSports3) September 21, 2021
Conor McGregor: hold my beer pic.twitter.com/Q4NtGeVArd
Oh boy. Conor enters the pantheon no Ceremonial First Pitcher wants to enter. https://t.co/OOOOaGeb6M
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) September 21, 2021
Guess “Off Pitch” is the theme for the night.
— Brian D (@opinionificate) September 22, 2021
It wasn’t all bad, however, with one Twitter user remarking he’s “living his best life.”
Man!, Conor is truly living his best life! I love too see it! @TheNotoriousMMA
— GucciSerg (@GucciSerg) September 22, 2021
Hilarious 😂 good sport about it. All fun
— Sitero (@YOsitero) September 22, 2021
Although the fighter is still recovering after breaking his left leg in July during a UFC fight against Dustin Poirier, his aim has always been a little off.
In 2016 we witnessed potentially the most childish fight in UFC history when McGregor and Nate Diaz fired water bottles at each other when a press conference descended into chaos.
He also seemingly threw water at rapper Machine Gun Kelly at the recent MTV Video Music Awards, leading to a bizarre scuffle.
Since throwing baseballs (or water) isn’t McGregor’s strong suit, we reckon he should stick to the one thing he is good at throwing — hands.
