DUBLIN, IRELAND: Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has been the face of the sport for many years thanks to his achievements inside the octagon. In his illustrious career, the former lightweight champion knocked down many indomitable feats that very few others have conquered. Apart from his martial art skills, McGregor is also known for his controversial run-ins with the law.
'The Notorious', as he is often known, has been arrested three times and has battled several lawsuits before the latest sexual assault allegations against him. Earlier this week, an unnamed woman accused the Irish mixed martial artist of sexually assaulting her inside a VIP restroom after Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Kaseya Center on Friday, June 9. The victim’s attorney claims that he "shoved his tongue in the victim's mouth and aggressively kissed her” before attempting to sodomize her. The Miami police have already launched an investigation, but McGregor's reps claim that the "allegations are false." In the wake of the new accusations, here’s a timeline of the arrests (and near-arrests) that have shadowed McGregor’s glorious career.
Long history of traffic offenses
McGregor’s first foray on the wrong side of the law came in 2017 when he pleaded guilty to speeding offenses and paid fines. Just a year later, he had another brush with authorities but this time his driving privileges were revoked for six months. However, it was all downhill from there. In 2022, he was detained on six traffic-related offenses, including driving without insurance and a license. Subsequently, his sports car was seized by the authorities. That case has been postponed until December 2023 after moving slowly through the courts without an initial plea, according to Rolling Stone.
Arrested for attack on bus at Barclays Center
In April 2018, McGregor and his friends attacked a slow-moving bus and shattered the vehicle’s windows and windshield while injuring multiple UFC fighters aboard. According to reports, the attack was meant as revenge on one of the bus' passengers, UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had confronted McGregor's teammate and close friend Artem Lobov at a hotel. The assault led to the NYPD putting a warrant out for McGregor’s arrest, but he turned himself in later that night after initially fleeing the scene.
By July 2018, McGregor had negotiated a plea agreement that saw the dismissal of his assault and felony criminal mischief charges in exchange for no jail time or loss of his travel authorization. As an alternative, he made reparations for the harm done, completed five days of community service, and consented to attend a brief anger management course. “I just want to say I’m thankful to the DA and the judge for allowing me to move forward,” McGregor said at the time.
Sexual assault allegations in Dublin
Early in 2019, reports claimed that McGregor was the subject of an Irish police investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a Dublin hotel in December 2018. A second allegation was made against McGregor to the police in October 2019 by a woman who claimed he had sexually assaulted her in a vehicle outside a Dublin pub. The UFC fighter refuted both allegations but was briefly detained and interrogated before being released. While those legal actions are continuing, the plaintiff authorized extensive discovery of the records the police gathered while working on the case.
Third arrest for criminal mischief
In an encounter caught on a security camera, McGregor seized and smashed the phone of a fan who tried to take his picture on Miami Beach in March 2019. After being detained for many hours on charges of criminal mischief and strong-armed robbery, he was eventually freed on a $5,000 bail and promised to cooperate fully with any future investigations. A month later, the fan dropped his civil lawsuit against McGregor, and following an out-of-court settlement between him and the victim, law enforcement decided not to file a criminal complaint.
Alleged sexual assault in Corsica
In September 2020, McGregor was jailed for two days and questioned by law enforcement on the French island of Corsica on allegations of indecent exposure and sexual assault in a pub. Eight months later, the authorities determined that there was not enough evidence to support a criminal case. According to a McGregor spokeswoman, DNA evidence was collected as part of the inquiry to support his account of what happened. “Conor Mcgregor vigorously denies any accusations of misconduct,” his representative told TMZ, adding, “He has been interviewed and released.”
