UFC: Conor McGregor convicted of assault and fined for punching elderly man in pub
- Former champion offers guilty plea and apologises to victim in Dublin court
- ‘What I did was very wrong … I assure you nothing of this nature will ever happen again’
Conor McGregor was convicted on Friday of assault for punching a man who refused a shot of whiskey from him in a Dublin pub in April, and was fined 1,000 euros (US$1,117).
The 31-year-old former UFC champion offered a guilty plea and apologised to his victim in Dublin’s District Court.
“What I did was very wrong. I would like to apologise again to the injured party … and assure you that nothing of this nature will happen again,” McGregor said.
McGregor’s lawyer Michael Staines asked the court to give him “one last chance” and said a criminal conviction could lead to a refusal of a visa to the US and create “very severe difficulties” for his career.
McGregor, who declined to comment to the media after the hearing, last week announced plans to return to the UFC Octagon in Las Vegas on January 18 against an opponent he declined to name.
He said he wants three fights in 2020, including rematches with Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defeated him in a lightweight title bout last year, his most recent MMA fight.
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The court heard that McGregor went to a bar he frequents close to Dublin city centre and bought a bottle of Proper Twelve whiskey, a brand he founded, and poured drinks for customers sitting at the bar.
One customer, Desmond Keogh, who McGregor did not know, twice refused a drink by moving the glass away. McGregor twice placed the drink back in front of him, the court heard.
Several minutes later he returned to the man, who was facing away from McGregor, and punched him, a video shown in court showed.
A police officer told the court the man had a sore face for several hours but did not suffer any lasting injury. McGregor’s lawyer told the court that the fighter had paid an undisclosed sum to Keogh.
Keogh said in a letter submitted to the court that he accepted McGregor’s apology and did not want to submit a victim impact statement.
McGregor was charged in a separate case in April 2018 with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief after police said he attacked a charter bus in New York carrying UFC fighters.
He pleaded guilty to a reduced disorderly conduct charge in that case.
