UFC fighter Conor McGregor is to be charged with assault after he allegedly punched an elderly man at an pub in April, Irish authorities have confirmed.
The news comes after TMZ posted surveillance video showing McGregor appearing to throw a left jab at a man at the Marble Arch Pub in Drimnagh, Dublin, on April 6.
The video shows the controversial UFC fighter being restrained by his aides and led away after the alleged attack.
Details of what provoked the incident are unclear, but according to sources that spoke with the Irish Sun, McGregor became upset after the man rejected his offer of whiskey.
McGregor to be charged over alleged assault
According to the Irish Sun, the alleged victim filed a complaint, accusing McGregor of assaulting him after he turned down an offer of whiskey. The Irish Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) decided, following an investigation, that McGregor will face a “minor assault charge.”
The alleged victim was ready to leave the pub when McGregor entered and ordered a bottle of his Proper Twelve Whiskey. But the older man was apparently not a fan of McGregor’s whiskey brand and rejected the offer by moving the empty glass placed in front of him.
The video shows McGregor placing the glass in front of the man again, but the man moves the glass away again.
“I don’t want to drink that s***,” the man allegedly said.
It is not clear from the video whether the man and McGregor exchange words. But McGregor appears to briefly talk to other people at the bar before suddenly reaching out with a quick left jab in the direction of man’s face. The elderly man barely flinches and remains seated on the stool, apparently unperturbed.
But he later lodged a complaint with the authorities. According to the Irish Sun, he accused McGregor of hitting him on the side of the head.
“We are investigating an incident at a pub in Drimnagh, Dublin, on April 6. No arrests have been made. Investigations are ongoing,” a police spokesperson said.
Investigating officers reportedly took CCTV footage evidence as part of the investigation.
“The decision has been made to charge McGregor with the lowest form of assault,” a source said.
McGregor will appear before a judge at the Dublin District Court and will be required to pay a fine if convicted of the offense of assault.
Meanwhile, the management of Marble Arch Pub has said McGregor is no longer welcome there.
This is not the first time that the former UFC champion has been in trouble over unruly behavior in a public place. He was convicted of disorderly conduct last year after he smashed the window of a bus carrying his UFC nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor lost to Khabib at UFC 229 staged in Las Vegas in October 2018.
He also managed to avoid felony charges in March after he smashed a phone belonging to a fan in Miami
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov has slammed McGregor over the latest public incident, saying that the UFC fighter has “lost his mind.”