UFC star Conor McGregor has once again been accused of assault.
McGregor’s name surfaced Tuesday in reports relating to an assault on his yacht this past July. At the time, McGregor was anchored in Ibiza, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The incident is alleged to have taken place on July 16, 2022, just days after McGregor’s birthday.
Per the Majorca Daily Bulletin, an unidentified Irish woman who was a guest on the fighter’s yacht claims she had to flee the vessel, fearing for her life. She told Irish police that attack seemed to be triggered when she asked a mutual friend for help after McGregor became aggressive towards her. “All his behaviour changed at that moment,” she stated.
The woman was reportedly left bruised after the incident.
News of the assault first made the rounds in September, but at the time, Spain’s Guardia Civil had “ruled out that the perpetrator was Conor McGregor himself or that he was even involved in the incident.” The complainant had not identified McGregor, and reportedly became frustrated with the language barrier between herself and Spanish authorities, adding that she wished to return home.
She told a different story to authorities back in Ireland, identifying Conor McGregor as her attacker. Per Spanish language outlet Ultima Hora, McGregor insulted the woman, kicked her in the midsection, punched her, then said “I’m going to drown you, who do you think you are?”
Per that report, the woman allegedly jumped off the yacht to escape, and was rescued by a Red Cross vessel a short time later. It notes that while she initially did identify McGregor as the suspect, she later retracted the allegation, citing her wish to return home to Ireland.
The Spanish investigation has been re-opened in light of the complainant filing a report against the fighter in Ireland.
In a statement provided to multiple publications including Cageside Press, a representative for McGregor wrote “Mr. McGregor is steadfast in his denial of all the accusations made by a guest on his boat.”
His representative did not confirm when asked by Cageside Press as to whether he had been interviewed by authorities, either at home or abroad.
McGregor has faced frequent allegations of violence over the years. In 2019, he was accused of smashing a fan’s cell phone; charges were later dropped when the victim stopped cooperating with the prosecution. The former UFC double-champ was also investigated regarding allegations of sexual assault in his native Ireland. No proceeding against him ever made it to court; Irish law prevented him from being identified as a suspect in that case, though he later chose to address the allegations publicly.
The complainant in the sexual assault allegation is currently suing McGregor. The star was also accused in a second allegation of sexual assault, which appeared to peter out.
In 2022, McGregor was charged with multiple driving offenses, while his pub was the subject of a firebomb attack. The year prior, he was accused of assaulting an Italian DJ. He also was seen in a scuffle with rapper Machine Gun Kelly that year. In 2020, he was the subject of an indecent exposure investigation.
McGregor has reportedly been eyeing a return to action later this year, though no announcement has been made regarding a timeline.
