Getty UFC star Conor McGregor.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor was arrested after police accused him of dangerous driving in Ireland on Tuesday, March 22, according to a report from the Irish Independent.
McGregor was stopped in his Bentley Continental GT in west Dublin, per the report. McGregor was charged and released on bail, also having his car returned to him, the outlet reported.
“Gardaí arrested a man aged in his 30s in relation an incident of dangerous driving in the Palmerstown area yesterday evening, Tuesday 22nd March 2022,” the department told the Independent. “The man was taken to Lucan Garda Station where he was later charged. He has been released pending an appearance before Blanchardstown District Court at a later date.”
The usually unfiltered McGregor has not talked about the incident on his social media channels as of yet. His reps did talk to TMZ, which reported:
McGregor was on the way to the gym when he was stopped for alleged traffic violations, and was taken to the station. Kessler says police gave McGregor drug and alcohol tests — which he passed — and was released.
McGregor Has Run Into Trouble With the Law in the Past
This isn’t McGregor’s first encounter with the law. He lost his license in 2018 for six months for going more than 30 mph over the speed limit in Ireland, according to Bleacher Report at the time.
McGregor was charged with felony assault but pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in a plea agreement after throwing an equipment dolly through the window of a bus containing rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018, according to Rolling Stone. Court records show he was also arrested and charged in March 2019 with strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief after police say he grabbed a phone from a man outside a Miami Beach hotel and broke it, according to the Miami Herald, but those charges were dropped.
Another incident involving McGregor came to light in August 2019, when TMZ reported he had punched an elderly man in a pub for refusing a drink from him in April that year. According to ESPN, he pleaded guilty and paid a fine of just over $1,000 that November.
“I was in the wrong,” McGregor told Ariel Helwani of the incident. “That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. Although five months ago it was, I tried to make amends. And I tried to make amends back then. That doesn’t even matter, I was in the wrong.”
Additionally, McGregor was accused of sexual assault in his home country of Ireland “by a woman who accused him of raping her in a hotel penthouse” in December 2018, The New York Times reported in 2021 after “Irish police and prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges” and the woman brought a civil suit. The UFC fighter has denied any wrongdoing.
ESPN reported in November 2019 that at that time McGregor had “18 previous convictions, including several for speeding and one for an assault in 2009.”
McGregor Looking for Title Shot in 2022
McGregor is currently rehabbing following a broken leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Still the UFC’s biggest star, McGregor has been more vocal in recent weeks about wanting a title shot when he returns to the octagon, most recently calling out welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
“Myself versus Usman for the 170-pound title in my comeback fight is the one I’m eyeballing at the minute,” said McGregor in an interview released on his YouTube channel. “Why cut the weight? I’ve already won the 155-pound title. I got myself to a lightweight frame, but you know, I’m big now. I feel big. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I’ve got good energy. I’m coming back from a gruesome injury. I don’t want to be depleting myself. There should be no need to deplete myself.”
Many have scoffed at the idea of McGregor getting an immediate shot at the belt, considering he’s just 1-3 in his last four fights, his lone victory since 2016 coming against Donald Cerrone. McGregor has not enjoyed the criticism.
“Enough is enough with the disrespect that comes my way, you know what I mean?” McGregor said. “People are gonna give me my respect for the many facets of my game — my fighting style and everything else. I’m gonna waltz back into a title shot, make no mistake about it.”
McGregor is expected to fight later this year, although his opponent is still uncertain.