Controversies
Driving offences
In November 2017 McGregor pleaded guilty to exceeding the speed limit in
Rathcoole, County Dublin.
[178] He was fined €400.
[178] In November 2018 he pleaded guilty to speeding in
Kill, County Kildare,
[179] and was fined €1,000 and disqualified from driving for six months.
[179]
On March 22, 2022, McGregor was arrested in Dublin and charged with six driving offences, including two counts of dangerous driving, being uninsured, having no licence, and failing to produce his documents. His car was seized by the
Irish police.
[180] He was released on bail and his car was returned to him. He was scheduled to appear before Blanchardstown district court in April 2022, and, if convicted, could be subject to a fine of up to €5,000, six months' imprisonment, or both.
[181][182][183][
needs update]
On June 23, 2022, McGregor appeared in
Blanchardstown District Court in relation to events on March 22, 2022.
[184][185] He was remanded on continuing bail[
jargon] pending "further charges" as part of a dangerous driving prosecution.
[184][185] He has not yet indicated a plea and the judge remanded[
jargon] him to appear on 8 September 2022 for directions from the
Director of Public Prosecutions.
[184][185]
Incident at Bellator 187
On 10 November 2017, McGregor's
SBG Ireland teammate
Charlie Ward made his debut at
Bellator 187 in Dublin against John Redmond.
[186] Ward knocked out Redmond in round one,
[187] and McGregor jumped the cage (he was not a licensed cornerman) to celebrate Ward's win while the fight was not yet officially declared over.
[188] McGregor was separated by referee Marc Goddard, as Goddard needed to verify if the knockout was before the bell, and to ensure lock down of the cage for medical staff to assess the health of the knocked out Redmond. McGregor charged towards Goddard: while he pushed and confronted Goddard in a wild melee, he also checked on the downed Redmond and knocked him down while he was trying to get up.
[189]
McGregor did a lap around the cage after he exited the cage a few minutes later, then climbed and straddled the cage apron to continue the celebration of Ward's win. He was stopped by a commissioner and McGregor, agitated, slapped the commissioner's face.
[190][191] Redmond stated after the fight that Goddard intended to let the fight continue to round two, but the Mohegan Sun commission, which oversaw the event, elected to end the fight due to McGregor's behaviour in the ring.
[192]
A day after the incident, the head of the commission for Bellator 187, Mike Mazzulli, the president of both the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) and Association of Boxing Commissions, issued a statement, stating that "McGregor's conduct jeopardized the health and safety" of fighters who were in the cage during the Ireland event. In addition, Mr McGregor assaulted Referee Mark Goddard and a (member of) Bellator staff."
[193]
Bus attack at UFC 223 Media Day
On 3 April 2018,
Khabib Nurmagomedov and
Artem Lobov had a minor altercation, in which Nurmagomedov cornered Lobov at a hotel in Brooklyn, New York. Lobov is known to be close to McGregor, with whom Nurmagomedov has had altercations and
trash talk exchanges.
[194] The two groups have a lengthy history of insults and confrontations.
On 5 April 2018, during promotional appearances for
UFC 223, McGregor and a group of about twenty others were let into the
Barclays Center by credentialed members of his promotional team. They attempted to confront Nurmagomedov, who was on a bus leaving the arena with "red corner" fighters for UFC 223 on it, such as
Rose Namajunas,
Al Iaquinta,
Karolina Kowalkiewicz,
Ray Borg, and
Michael Chiesa.
[195] McGregor ran up alongside the slowly moving bus and then ran past it to grab a metal equipment
dolly, which he then threw at the bus's window, before trying to throw other objects in the vicinity.
[196] Chiesa and Borg were injured by the shattered glass and sent to hospital. They were soon removed from the card on the advice of the
NYSAC and the UFC's medical team.
[197] Lobov was also pulled from his fight for his involvement in the dispute.
Dana White said there was a warrant out for McGregor's arrest, and the
NYPD said McGregor was a
person of interest.
[198] White said McGregor had told him via text message: "This had to be done."
[199] "You can imagine he's going to be sued beyond belief", White said, and denied suggestions that the violence was a publicity stunt intended to generate interest in the UFC.
[200] McGregor and others involved initially fled the Barclays Center after the incident,
[201] although he and a fellow accused turned themselves in that night. McGregor was charged with three counts of
assault and one count of
criminal mischief.
[202][203] He was further charged with menacing and reckless endangerment at his arraignment, and released on $50,000
bail until 14 June 2018.
[204][205] Under the bail conditions negotiated by his then attorney,
Jim Walden, and set by the judge, McGregor was allowed to travel without restriction.
[206][207] On 12 April 2018, McGregor hired lawyer Bruce Mafeo of
Cozen O'Connor to represent him in this matter.
[208] McGregor pleaded no contest to a count of disorderly conduct and was ordered to perform five days of community service and attend anger management classes.
[209] On 12 September 2018, Chiesa announced a lawsuit against McGregor, saying that he "experienced pain, suffering and a loss of enjoyment of life" as a result of the attack.
[210]
Incident at UFC 229
Main article:
UFC 229 § Nurmagomedov–McGregor post-fight controversy
Following the fight at UFC 229 on 6 October 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped out of the cage and charged towards McGregor's training partner Dillon Danis. Soon afterwards, McGregor and
Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin, also attempted to exit the octagon, but a scuffle broke out after McGregor punched Abubakar, who then punched him back.
[211] Two of Nurmagomedov's cornermen retaliated: Esed Emiragaev and
Zubaira Tukhugov.
[212] Tukhugov was scheduled to fight on 27 October 2018 at
UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith against
Artem Lobov, the McGregor team member who was confronted by Nurmagomedov in April 2018. Nurmagomedov's payment for the fight was withheld by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) as a result, pending an investigation into his actions. Nurmagomedov appeared at the post-fight interview and apologized to the NSAC.
[213]
The NSAC filed a formal complaint against both McGregor and Nurmagomedov, and on 24 October, the NSAC voted to release half of Nurmagomedov's $2 million fight payout immediately.[
citation needed] Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor received indefinite bans, at least until the official hearing, which took place in December 2018.
[214] On 29 January 2019, the NSAC announced a six-month suspension for McGregor, (retroactive to 6 October 2018) and a $50,000 fine. He became eligible to compete again on 6 April 2019.
[215]
Dublin sexual assault allegations
In March 2019,
The New York Times reported that McGregor was under investigation by
the Irish police, following allegations of a sexual assault on a woman in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
[216] A second allegation of sexual assault was reported on in October 2019, regarding an assault on a woman in a car alleged to have taken place earlier that month.
[217]
In January 2021, after
prosecutors declined to prosecute McGregor for the 2018 alleged sexual assault, a civil claim for damages was launched in the
High Court. A spokeswoman for McGregor said in a statement that the allegations against McGregor were "categorically rejected" and that McGregor is "confident that justice will prevail" in the civil case.
[218][219] In March 2022, the High Court made a pre-trial discovery order against McGregor in the case. The order requires the
Gardaí to disclose certain information and documents gathered by them.
[220]
Florida robbery arrest
On 11 March 2019, McGregor was arrested outside of the
Fontainebleau Hotel in
Miami Beach, Florida after he attacked a fan taking a picture with a cellphone. In an incident that was caught on CCTV, McGregor lunged to hit the man, grabbed his device and smashed it on the ground with his feet. Subsequently he was arrested and charged with
strong-armed robbery and
criminal mischief.
[221] McGregor was held in custody for several hours before being released on a $5,000 bond. On 14 March 2019, news surfaced that McGregor was also facing a
civil lawsuit from the fan involved in the incident.
[222] On 8 April, the civil lawsuit against McGregor was dropped by the fan.
[223] On 13 May, it was revealed that the criminal charges against McGregor had also been dropped after the accuser's attorney said that his client had "been made whole" by McGregor, in a reference to an out-of-court settlement that was reached.
[224][225]
Dublin pub assault
On 15 August 2019,
TMZ Sports published a video that showed McGregor punching an older man at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin.
[226] The incident happened on 6 April and was originally reported by Irish media, although without the video that showed the attack.
[227] McGregor had repeatedly offered the victim a shot of his whiskey, which the victim repeatedly declined, then McGregor had punched him.
[227] Irish police stated that they had opened an investigation.
[228] McGregor was charged with assault and first appeared in court on 11 October 2019.
[227] The court heard that McGregor had 18 prior convictions from 2018 going back to 2009.
[227] The majority were for driving offences, but he was given the Probation Act in 2009 when he was an apprentice plumber for an assault causing harm offence.
[227] On 1 November, McGregor pleaded guilty to the assault and was fined €1,000.
[229][227]
Corsica arrest
On 10 September 2020, McGregor was arrested on the French island of
Corsica on suspicion of attempted sexual assault and indecent exposure for an incident alleged to have taken place in a bar. After being held in custody for two days while being interviewed by police, he was released without charge.
[230][231][232] Eight months later, French authorities dropped the investigation due to insufficient evidence.
[233][234]
Altercation with Machine Gun Kelly
McGregor was involved in an altercation with recording artist
Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) at the
2021 MTV Video Music Awards, held at the
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on 12 September 2021. After exchanging a few words, McGregor attempted to throw a punch at MGK, which did not land. Both were held back by guards and others who walked on the red carpet. No charges were filed and police were not involved, but the scuffle was widely reported in the media.
[235][236][237][238]
Alleged attack on Francesco Facchinetti
On 17 October 2021, McGregor allegedly assaulted
Francesco Facchinetti, an Italian musician and TV presenter, in a nightclub in
Rome, breaking Facchinetti's nose in front of witnesses and bodyguards. A few days later, Facchinetti filed charges against McGregor for the attack.
[239][240][241][242][243]
Alleged attack on yacht
In January 2023, McGregor was accused of assaulting a 42-year-old woman aboard his yacht in
Ibiza, Spain, during his birthday party on July 22, 2022. The woman claimed she was berated by McGregor before being physically assaulted. She further claimed that she was forced to jump from the yacht to escape McGregor and that she sustained a broken arm in the process. The woman did not file a formal statement with Spanish police at the time of the incident. In January, she gave a formal statement with Irish police, who then shared that statement with their Spanish counterparts. The woman has also filed a civil suit against McGregor over the alleged incident.
[244][245][246] After making her formal statement, the woman's car was set ablaze outside of her Dublin home.
[247] In February, a brick was reportedly thrown through a window of that residence.
[248] In late February 2023, news surfaced that the lawsuit was discontinued by the
plaintiff, with no further information provided.
[249]
Miami 2023
Punching the Miami Heat mascot
On 10 June, 2023, McGregor appeared at Game Four of the
2023 NBA Finals in Miami, Florida, to promote his pain relief spray in a planned skit with the
Miami Heat's mascot,
Burnie. McGregor proceeded to punch the man wearing the mascot costume once, and then again when the man was on the ground. The man was subsequently treated in a local hospital emergency room, and later released. Most of the crowd in attendance booed McGregor for his actions.
[250][251] On June 13, three days after the incident, McGregor claimed that "it was a skit," and that "and all is well" between the two.
[252][253]
Alleged sexual assault
On 11 June, Miami police received a report that McGregor had sexually assaulted a woman the previous night in a restroom at the arena after Game Four of the NBA Finals. They are investigating.
[254] McGregor released a statement via the Kessler PR Group, a public relations and crisis management group, denying the allegation.
[255]
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