UFC superstar Conor McGregor has been accused of “violently” sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom at Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat, TMZ Sports reported on Friday [AEST].
The incident allegedly took place at Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Heat and Denver Nuggets – where McGregor was a part of the in-arena entertainment and also made headlines for punching the Heat’s mascot.
McGregor’s representatives denied the allegations to TMZ.
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According to demand letters from lawyer Ariel Mitchell, obtained by TMZ, the victim was separated from her friend by Heat and NBA security, where she was forced into a bathroom inside the arena.
McGregor then emerged from a stall and forcibly kissed the woman, who was kept inside the bathroom by security guards that also wouldn’t allow anyone else inside.
After the woman was able to initially get away from McGregor by saying she had to urinate, the 34-year-old fighter then forced her to perform oral sex on him, the letters allege.
McGregor is then accused of grabbing the woman, pinning her against the wall and attempting to rape her.
The victim was able to escape by elbowing him multiple times, but left her purse behind, which the letters claim McGregor’s security guards “held hostage.”
The woman then allegedly got her purse back and reported the incident to authorities.
“We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation,” the Heat said in a statement to The Post.
“Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement to The Post that the league is “aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information.”
Mitchell told TMZ that after the woman reported the alleged assault on Sunday, a police officer encouraged her to seek an lawyer.
The woman is seeking settlements with the NBA, the Heat and McGregor in lieu of litigation, according to the letters.
“The organisation is aware of the recent allegations regarding Conor McGregor and will continue to gather additional details regarding the incident,” the UFC said in a statement. “UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements.”
The news comes one day after McGregor announced that he and his longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin, are expecting their fourth child together.
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“Things are going well,” McGregor said on Wednesday’s episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark.” “We’ve got another one on the way. There’s a lot going on.”
The former UFC champion and Devlin, 35, share three kids: Conor Jr. 5, Croia, 4, and Rian, 1.
This is not the first time McGregor has been accused of sexual assault.
In March 2019, it was reported that McGregor was under investigation in his native Ireland for sexual assault, stemming from a December 2018 incident.
He was arrested the following month, four people familiar with the probe told the New York Times.
At the time, a spokesperson for McGregor called the allegation a rumour that had been “circulating for some time.”
The Times reported that McGregor was not formally charged.
The woman later sued McGregor for assault and personal injury in January 2021, according to the Associated Press.
Separately, McGregor was arrested and charged with two felonies in South Florida in March 2019 for stealing the cell phone of someone who was trying to take his photo.
Florida prosecutors dropped the criminal charges two months later.
The incidents came after McGregor received a six-month suspension and was fined $50,000 in January 2019 following a post-fight brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
The Irishman pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2018 after he threw a hand truck at a bus containing UFC fighters at the Barclays Center in New York.
McGregor, who has come out of retirement three times, has been out of competition since he sustained a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
He is currently featured as a coach on the latest season of ESPN’s “The Ultimate Fighter” against Michael Chandler, with the show expected to serve as a lead-up to a bout between the two stars at a later date.
McGregor (22-6) has lost three of his last four fights.
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.
