Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor punches Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot, during a break in Game 4 of the basketball NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Miami. The man who occupies Burnie’s costume needed medical attention. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Just hours after sending an NBA mascot to the emergency room during a halftime skit gone wrong, MMA fighter Conor McGregor allegedly tried to rape a woman inside the bathroom of a private club at the arena where the Miami Heat were playing in the NBA finals.
According to demand letters sent by attorney Ariel Mitchell, who represents the woman accusing McGregor, the professional fighter separated the woman from her friend and trapped her inside a men’s bathroom following the June 9 game between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. They had both reportedly been partying inside the Courtside Club, described by the Miami New Times as a high-priced VIP room located inside the Kaseya Center.
“McGregor then appeared from inside the handicapped stall and shoved his tongue in the victim’s mouth and aggressively kissed her,” the demand letter says. “The victim was able to get Mr. McGregor to cease his assault by demanding he stop because she had to urinate. When the victim attempted to urinate, Mr. McGregor, instead of giving her privacy to do so, pulled out his penis and shoved it down the throat of the victim.”
The demand letter says that McGregor attempted to rape her multiple times, at one point ripping the waistband of her pants while pulling them down. The victim “continuously elbowed” McGregor and finally escaped, the letter says, although her purse was briefly “held hostage” by McGregor’s security after she left it behind.
According to Mitchell’s letter, the woman contacted police as soon as she recovered her handbag.
Mitchell, who sent similar demand letters to the Miami Heat and the NBA, says that McGregor was “aided and abetted by the NBA and Miami Heat Kaseya security.”
Earlier that night, McGregor had participated in what was supposed to be a fake-fighting skit with Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot. The one-time UFC champion, however, didn’t take it easy, apparently punching the human inside the costume so hard — twice — that he had to be taken to the emergency room.
The fake fight was an opportunity for McGregor to promote his new pain relief spray, according to The Athletic. After McGregor landed the second punch, he apparently sprayed the mascot with the product.
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Mitchell’s letter to McGregor’s representative specifically referred to the violent interaction as a precursor to the alleged assault on her client.
“Mr. McGregor’s outrageous and offensive behavior towards our client cannot be construed as satire, as with the mascot, as in this instance the victim was an unwilling participant in Mr. McGregor’s criminal and illegal behavior,” the letter said.
In a statement, McGregor’s lawyer Barbara Llanes said that the accuser’s claims of sexual assault are nothing more than a get-rich-quick scheme, and cited a video released by TMZ that appeared to show McGregor leading his accuser into the bathroom, with his security blocking the door shortly afterwards.
“After the video was released by TMZ, the claimant’s lawyer now has changed her story,” Llanes said in the statement, emailed to Law&Crime. “Mr. McGregor welcomes the investigation, which he firmly believes will show the claims against him are false. After not responding to the demand for money made by claimant’s counsel, she turned to the media to apply pressure. This is no more than a shakedown.”
Mitchell told Law&Crime in an email that McGregor’s lawyer “definitely was not saying what she is saying now.” According to Mitchell, McGregor’s attorney had asked to meet and wanted to know “how much money we were requesting.”
“I told them I was not requesting any money at the time nor did I have any dollar amount in mind, I just wanted to meet with them to show them the evidence that I had, and for us to discuss how we could handle this matter,” Mitchell said, adding that attorneys for the Heat and NBA have “expressed their concern about the matter and their concern about my client.”
McGregor is no stranger to controversy — or sexual assault allegations. In 2019, McGregor was investigated for alleged sexual assault in Ireland, although that inquiry was dropped months later after the supposed victim refused to cooperate. Also in 2019, McGregor was arrested for allegedly stomping on a male fan’s phone in Florida. The previous year, McGregor was arrested for getting violent — and destructive — backstage at a UFC press conference in New York.
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