Conor McGregor seems to be in a pretty good space right now in a professional capacity. He just made a boatload of money by taking part in a fight with Floyd Mayweather, and his next fight in the UFC is likely going to pay him significantly more than any of the other MMA fights he’s taken part in. But if you believe the wild reports coming out of Ireland right now, McGregor could also be facing some serious trouble as a result of a fight that he was allegedly involved in away from the Octagon.
Both the Irish Daily Star and the Irish Independent are reporting the story but keeping McGregor’s name out of it. “Well-known Irish celebrity punches cartel associate in Dublin pub,” the Independent article’s headline reads. The article later refers to the person as a “sports star.”
A well-known Irish celebrity has assaulted a close associate of a senior Kinahan cartel henchman in a south Dublin pub. During the row, a man in his 50s with close links to convicted drug dealer Graham ‘The Wig’ Whelan (35) was punched. Gardaí are aware of the incident, which happened on Sunday night, but no complaint has yet been made.
It is understood the sports star attempted to assault another young man in the pub, when Whelan’s associate attempted to intervene before being punched twice in the face. This man, aged in his late 50s, has been described as a “completely innocent” individual who has no involvement in criminality. He is also understood to have punched another young man once in the head during the melee. This individual was then ushered out of the pub and was driven away from the scene.
Tuesday’s front page pic.twitter.com/mK3ZshimyY
— Irish Daily Star (@IsFearrAnStar) November 28, 2017
If true, this would obviously be very problematic for McGregor, as punching a made man’s father or even close associate is a big no-no. The Irish Sun has reported that the Kinahan cartel has demanded a $1 million ransom from McGregor, and a source told the paper that Whelan is “an extremely dangerous individual who’s well connected” and that “he’s not known to ever let someone away from stepping out of line.”
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And given McGregor’s somewhat erratic behavior recently, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to learn that any of this is true. Stories of him fighting at pubs and afterparties aren’t unheard of, and McGregor himself has posted photos of his busted knuckles after a rowdy weekend out.
UFC president Dana White did think enough of the reports to address them during a luncheon on Tuesday. He said he doesn’t think the reports about McGregor and the mob are true, but he also didn’t rule them out completely.
“Can’t be a good thing for Conor,” White said. “But I’m sure it can be worked out, too. Jake LaMotta’s brother beat the s**t out of a wise guy, too, and they figured it out.”
