Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is under investigation by Irish police after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in December.
According to a report from the New York Times, McGregor was arrested in January, questioned by police and later released pending further investigation. He hasn’t been charged with any crime, and no allegations have been proven.
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The unidentified woman claims the assault took place at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin. The Times reports that McGregor has stayed at the hotel in the past, often renting the upper penthouse. Hotel records show that he did, in fact, stay there in December.
One of McGregor’s American publicists told the Times that there would be no comment on “rumours.”
On Tuesday morning, the 30-year-old announced his retirement from UFC.
McGregor has only fought one bout since 2016, which he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and has previously announced his retirement, only to come back.
On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the UFC star, Karen Kessler, released a statement about the sexual assault charges.
“This story has been circulating for some time, and it is unclear why it is being reported now,” the statement read. “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.”
In mid-March, McGregor was arrested in Florida and charged with robbery and criminal mischief after police say he stole the cellphone of someone trying to take his photo.
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According to police, McGregor was leaving the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in the early morning hours when a 22-year-old man attempted to take a picture of McGregor. Police say McGregor slapped the phone out of the man’s hand and then stomped on it several times. Investigators say McGregor then grabbed the phone and left the area. Police later found McGregor at his local address.
McGregor is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and one of the biggest draws in MMA. He returned to UFC last fall after a hiatus during which he made his boxing debut and suffered a loss to Floyd Mayweather. He was suspended from UFC for six months and fined $50,000 for a brawl after his loss to Nurmagomedov in October.
McGregor has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, since 2008. They have one child together, Conor Jack McGregor Jr., born in 2017.
—With files from the Associated Press
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