Irish MMA fighter chants ‘Free Palestine’ after beating Israeli opponent

Irish mixed martial artist Paddy McCorry made headlines on Saturday night after expressing vocal solidarity with Palestine following his victory over Israeli opponent Shuki Farage at the Cage Warriors 189 event held in Rome.

The 27-year-old fighter secured a unanimous decision win over Farage, a former soldier in the Israeli army. In viral footage circulating online, McCorry appeared to dominate the bout, repeatedly landing heavy strikes on his opponent.

In a powerful moment that resonated with spectators and social media users alike, McCorry shouted "Free Palestine!" directly at Farage as the fight concluded, prompting chants of the same slogan from the crowd inside the arena. 

Read: TikTok reportedly censors ‘free Palestine’ comments as hate speech

The video was widely shared across platforms, with McCorry later posting a video clip on X captioned “Street justice,” followed by Irish and Palestinian flags.

As the referee announced his victory, McCorry draped himself in a Palestinian flag and repeated the chant "Free Palestine!" during the official post-fight declaration. 

Street justice 🇮🇪 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/qjgZt0UmZI

— Paddy McCorry (@PaddyMcCorryMMA) May 31, 2025

His public stance reflects Ireland’s growing support for the Palestinian cause amid increasing international scrutiny of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, as Ireland has been one of the most outspoken European nations on the issue. 

Just last week, Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris reaffirmed Ireland’s position that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the first European government to issue such a statement. 

Read: IPU parliamentarians chant “Free Palestine” during UN General Assembly session

In May 2024, Ireland officially recognised the State of Palestine alongside Spain and other European allies.

McCorry’s gesture is the latest in a series of pro-Palestinian statements from the sports world.

On the same day, Paris Saint-Germain fans chanted slogans demanding an end to the violence in Gaza during the UEFA Champions League final at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

According to recent reports, Israel’s intensified airstrikes since March 18 have resulted in the deaths of over 4,300 people, with the total death toll in Gaza since October 7, 2023, now exceeding 54,000.