Conor McGregor reportedly under investigation for sexual assault

Hours after Conor McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, the New York Times has reported that he is under investigation over allegations of sexual assault.

According to the Times, the former UFC champion was arrested in January after a woman said he sexually assaulted her in Dublin in December. McGregor has not been charged over the allegations but sources told the Times he is still under investigation by Irish police. The alleged assault is said to have taken place at the Beacon Hotel, where McGregor is believed to occasionally stay on visits to Ireland. The hotel is a 25-minute drive from Crumlin, where McGregor grew up.

On Tuesday, Karen Kessler, a spokesperson for McGregor’s legal team spoke to ESPN. “This story has been circulating for some time and it is unclear why it is being reported now,” Kessler said. “The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumour is absolutely false. Should Conor fight in the future it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport.”

On Tuesday morning McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, announced on Twitter that he had ended his fighting career. “Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today. I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”

McGregor had appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show on Monday before announcing his retirement. He gave no indication that he was considering quitting fighting or was under any outside pressures.

READ MORE: Is Conor McGregor actually retiring?

“I am set for life, my family is set for life,” he said. “I’ve done a lot, I’ve fought a lot. I’ve never pulled out of contests. I’ve gone through some crazy injuries, some crazy external situations that many a man would sprint for the hills if it happened to them. But I stood firm [and] done my piece for the company. Like I said, this whiskey [one of McGregor’s business interests] is my baby. I have a lot of great entities. I don’t necessarily need to fight.”

The Irishman, along with Ronda Rousey, was UFC’s biggest star for years. Before the New York Times report emerged, the UFC president Dana White paid tribute to McGregor’s career in mixed martial arts. “He has been so fun to watch,” White told ESPN. “He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him and look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it.”

McGregor has not fought since October last year when he lost to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. McGregor was suspended for six months after that fight ended with brawls spreading into the crowd.

McGregor has also made headlines away from UFC. In 2017, he made tens of millions of dollars after making his boxing debut against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas. While many dismissed the bout as a publicity stunt, it increased the profile of McGregor, who was already one of the most famous fighters in the world.

This month, he was arrested in Florida on suspicion of stealing the phone of someone who was trying to take his photo. Before last year’s Nurmagomedov fight, he avoided jail over his involvement in a melee after a news conference for the UFC 223 event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.