Ahead of his return this weekend at UFC 257, where he will fight in a rematch with Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has been drawn into a different sort of battle.
The former UFC double champ (lightweight and featherweight) is the focus of a multi-million dollar personal injury lawsuit, Ireland’s The Independent reported Tuesday.
The lawsuit stems from a 2018 incident, the nature of which cannot be reported by Irish media due to local laws. However, in 2019, it was revealed by The New York Times that McGregor was under investigation for sexual assault. The paper later revealed the existence of a second sexual assault investigation. No charges were ever filed following an in-depth investigation of the allegations by An Garda Síochána (a.k.a. the Gardai, the national police service of Ireland).
However, per The Independent report, a longtime female acquaintance of McGregor has launched a multi-million dollar dollar personal injury suit against the UFC star, while her mother has launched a smaller, related suit against the fighter. The suit has also targeted an associate of McGregor.
No specifics of the allegations have been made public. However, on Tuesday, Karen J. Kessler, spokesperson for Conor McGregor, provided Cageside Press with the following statement.
“After an exhaustive investigation conducted by the Gardai which, in addition to interviews of the plaintiff, included: interviewing numerous sources, obtaining witnesses’ statements, examining closed circuit footage and the cooperation of Conor McGregor, these allegations were categorically rejected,” the statement, released to multiple media outlets, read. “The plaintiff knows the facts contradict the assertions in this lawsuit. Mr. McGregor will dispute any claims and is confident that justice will prevail.”
McGregor (22-4), 32, fights for the first time in a year in the main event of UFC 257. The coronavirus pandemic, and a feud with UFC President Dana White, effectively kept him shelved for the bulk of 2020, after he started the year on a high note with a quick victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
