Conor McGregor seems to be in a pretty good space right now in a professional capacity. He just made a boatload of money by taking part in a fight with Floyd Mayweather, and his next fight in the UFC is likely going to pay him significantly more than any of the other MMA fights he’s taken part in. But if you believe the wild reports coming out of Ireland right now, McGregor could also be facing some serious trouble as a result of a fight that he was allegedly involved in away from the Octagon.
According to the Irish Independent, McGregor was involved in a bar fight in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday night, during which he attempted to punch a young man. However, it sounds like an older man may have stepped in between McGregor and the young man and bore the brunt of the punch that was thrown. That man has not been identified, but he reportedly has a close connection to Graham "The Wig" Whelan, a convicted drug dealer and a member of the Kinahan cartel, one of the most feared groups in the country. Some Irish publications have even identified the man as Whelan’s father.
If true, this would obviously be very problematic for McGregor, as punching a made man’s father or even close associate is a big no-no. The Irish Sun has reported that the Kinahan cartel has demanded a $1 million ransom from McGregor, and a source told the paper that Whelan is "an extremely dangerous individual who’s well connected" and that "he’s not known to ever let someone away from stepping out of line."
On the surface, all of this sounds kind of crazy. McGregor has spoken openly about having close encounters with members of Irish mobs and gangs in the past, so it’s not out of the question for him to be surrounded by them during a night out. But would he really end up on their bad side because of a bar fight?
So far, McGregor hasn’t spoken publicly about the reports that are out there. But his last social media post went up on Tuesday and it featured the caption, "The celebrity," which may or may not have been a nod to the fact that the Irish Independent only identified him as a "well-known Irish celebrity" in their report about the bar fight.
It's also worth noting that UFC president Dana White did think enough of the reports to address them during a luncheon on Tuesday. He said he doesn’t think the reports about McGregor and the mob are true, but he also didn’t rule them out completely.
"Can’t be a good thing for Conor," White said. "But I’m sure it can be worked out, too. Jake LaMotta’s brother beat the shit out of a wise guy, too, and they figured it out."
McGregor might want to try and "figure it out" as quickly as possible. He also might want to stick to throwing punches in the Octagon. It’s a lot more lucrative and a lot less dangerous.
