Report: Conor McGregor charged with assault, due in court for punching older man

Former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor has been charged with assault for his apparent suckerpunch of an older man, according to a new report.

The Irish Independent on Friday reported McGregor, 31, is due in Dublin District Court on Oct. 11 to answer on a single assault charge filed by police after he allegedly struck the man at the Marble Arch pub on April 6.

A spokesperson for Garda Siochana, Ireland’s police service, confirmed the Oct. 11 court date for “a man in his 30s” in relation to “an assault incident that occurred at a public house.” Ireland’s privacy laws protect accuser and accused while cases are pending.

Requests for comment to McGregor’s longtime management firm, Paradigm Sports, went unreturned.

The assault charge carries a potential penalty of up to six months in prison and a fine of 1,500 Euros, or both.

Video footage of the alleged assault surfaced four months after it took place in August, when TMZ obtained video that appears to show McGregor decking the older man after he demurs at an offer of his Proper Twelve whiskey. The UFC star is quickly shuttled out of the bar by men who appear to be his security entourage.

Detectives took a statement from the alleged victim, who’s reportedly in his 50s, after a complaint was filed with police. McGregor was questioned by police in May, the Independent reported.

TMZ initially reported that police had seen the video, but declined to file charges against McGregor. But according to the Independent, prosecutors reversed course and directed police to issue a summons for the former UFC champ; McGregor was recently served with a notice to appear in court.

The former two-division UFC champ apologized for the incident shortly after the footage surfaced. He told ESPN he was in the wrong for his behavior. The incident spurred a major backlash from fans who said the Irish star had gone overboard. An Irish bar posted a video where they emptied bottles of Proper Twelve into the toilet.

For McGregor, it was the latest misstep in a series of incidents that have landed him in trouble with the law. Earlier this year, he was charged with strongarm robbery after allegedly slapping the cell phone out of a fan’s hands; charges were later dropped when the fan declined to cooperate with prosecutors.

In 2018, McGregor reached a plea agreement with New York prosecutors in connection with his infamous bus attack at UFC 223. He avoided jail and was fined and sentenced to community service.

The alleged assault cage isn’t McGregor’s sole pending case. He currently is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault that occurred this past December, according to the New York Times. UFC President Dana White has professed ignorance about the case while also claiming McGregor has denied involvement.