What have McGregor and his $100 million been up to lately?
Let’s check in on Conor McGregor, shall we? When last we left him, in August, McGregor, the mixed martial arts fighter, was the talk of the sports world, earning untold millions for his first professional boxing match, against the boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He lost that bout but was expected to return as the undisputed superstar of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon.
But will he? No less than Dana White, the UFC president, said this week that McGregor might never fight again.
“We were working on a fight for him at the end of the year, and he’s just not ready,” White told reporters.
“And fighting is the worst. Try to get up and get punched in the face for a living when you’ve got $100 million in the bank.”
So what has McGregor been doing with his free time and $100 million? According to the not always 100 per cent accurate British and Irish tabloids, he was involved in a punch-up in an Irish bar over the weekend. Depending on which tabloid you read, the speculation got even wilder: Was one or more of those involved associated with a drug cartel? Were mobsters demanding compensation?
McGregor’s father, Tony, told The Irish Mirror: “That’s all nonsense, that is. Absolute nonsense. It’s an absolute nonsense story.
McGregor has also been doing some driving; he picked up a $540 fine Thursday for speeding in his BMW, going 98 m.p.h. in a 62 m.p.h. zone.
As McGregor left court, reporters asked him about supposed threats on his life. McGregor said, “Come and get me.” RTE News of Ireland tweeted a video of the exchange; McGregor immediately retweeted it.
The idea that McGregor will never get back in a mixed martial arts ring is not entirely accurate — he did so earlier in November. After a Bellator event in Dublin, he celebrated the victory of a friend, Charlie Ward, by jumping into the cage, then confronting the referee. He also shoved the ref and lashed out at officials. “I sincerely apologize for my behaviour at last weekend’s fight event in Dublin,” he wrote later. “While trying to support a loyal teammate and friend, I let my emotions get the best of me and acted out of line.”
He said he objected to the referee, Marc Goddard, allowing the fight to continue after Ward had knocked his opponent down. Last year, an opponent of Ward’s died after their bout.
Regardless of whether he does return to the cage, it looks like Conor McGregor will keep making news.