UFC legend McGregor questions why the U.S. is including XRP, Cardano, and Solana in its crypto reserve amid claims that only Bitcoin and Ethereum are decentralized.
The recent comments come from Bitcoin and Ethereum advocates insisting that only Bitcoin and Ethereum are truly decentralized. McGregor raised the issue on X, attracting reactions from Bitcoin supporters.
In his post, he called attention to President Donald Trump’s March 2025 announcement confirming that the U.S. crypto reserve would hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Cardano.
I have learned from the events this week that not all blockchains are actually decentralised
A lot of people are telling me that BTC and ETH are the only truly decentralised networks
But the US government are going to buy XRP, SOL, and ADA?
Give me your thoughts! pic.twitter.com/KMjVCSujqO
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 26, 2025
McGregor, who is now becoming a voice in the crypto scene, said he found it odd that the government would choose assets that many consider less decentralized than Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Bitcoin supporters flooded the replies, urging McGregor to focus only on Bitcoin and ignore what they called “centralized tokens.” However, Cardano proponents argued that Cardano is the most decentralized network, especially considering its new on-chain governance.
McGregor Pushing for Bitcoin Adoption as an Independent Candidate
McGregor’s recent post built on a bigger campaign he has been pushing since early May. From May 9, McGregor ramped up his political push for a Bitcoin strategic reserve in Ireland.
As an independent candidate in the 2025 Irish presidential race, he has framed Bitcoin as “people’s money” and argued that Ireland should follow the growing list of countries considering Bitcoin for their national reserves.
He hosted several discussions on X Spaces, calling for expert input from figures like Anthony Pompliano, David Bailey, and Max Keiser. His campaign focuses on making Ireland a leader in Bitcoin adoption to promote transparency, economic freedom, and monetary sovereignty.
Calls for Bitcoin Reserves in the EU
The global push surrounding Bitcoin reserves supports McGregor’s ambitions. Several countries are exploring Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation, economic instability, or overreliance on the U.S. dollar.
In the European Union, the Czech Republic is reviewing a proposal to allocate up to 5% of its national reserves into Bitcoin, with Czech National Bank Governor Aleš Michl backing the idea.
In Poland, presidential candidate Sławomir Mentzen has pledged to establish a Bitcoin reserve. Germany has seen similar calls from former finance minister Christian Lindner.
Global Push
Outside the EU, lawmakers in Russia want a Bitcoin reserve to protect the country from sanctions and currency devaluation. Brazil’s congress is reviewing a bill for a Sovereign Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, while Japan is also debating a reserve, though concerns about volatility still hold back progress there.
In the U.S., Trump’s March executive order greenlit a Bitcoin reserve funded through seized crypto assets, with Senator Cynthia Lummis’ BITCOIN Act aiming to accumulate one million BTC over five years.
Meanwhile, El Salvador, the world’s first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, already holds over 6,000 BTC and continues to promote Bitcoin as a national asset under President Nayib Bukele’s leadership.
McGregor plans to meet with Bukele to better understand El Salvador’s approach and apply those lessons to Ireland, though the EU’s regulatory framework presents challenges.
Specifically, the European Central Bank remains skeptical of Bitcoin, and ECB President Christine Lagarde has publicly ruled out holding it as part of EU central bank reserves.
McGregor’s Earlier Involvement in Crypto
McGregor’s growing presence in crypto comes after a turbulent April, when his meme coin “REAL” failed to take off. The coin launched through a sealed-bid auction but raised only $392,000, far below its $1 million minimum target.
Notably, the team refunded all bids and paused the project, promising a future relaunch with stronger community involvement.
However, McGregor’s crypto journey began earlier. In 2021, he joined Dapper Labs for a UFC NFT project on the Flow blockchain, giving fans access to digital collectibles. The next year, he endorsed XTB and Tiger.Trade, though the latter faced criticism due to links with the collapsed FTX exchange.
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