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Conor McGregor fined $1,116 for punching man in the head who didn't try his whiskey

cassandra negley
WNBA and women's college basketball reporter
Conor McGregor leaves Dublin District Court in Dublin, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. McGregor has been fined $1,120 for assaulting a man in a pub. The retired mixed martial arts fighter from Ireland pleaded guilty to a charge of assault during an appearance at Dublin District Court. The 31-year-old McGregor hasn't fought in MMA since losing by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
Conor McGregor was fined for punching a man in a bar in April. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Conor McGregor pleaded guilty on Friday to punching a man in the face in an Ireland bar last April while promoting his whiskey, according to reports.

McGregor was fined $1,116.16 (the U.S. dollars equivalent of $1,000 Euros) and avoided jail time for the incident, per ESPN.

Jail time ‘inappropriate’ for McGregor

Judge Treasa Kelly said jail time would be inappropriate in the case, per ESPN. McGregor, 31, apologized to the victim in court, though he was not in attendance, and told the court it wouldn’t happen again.

From The Journal in Ireland:

“What I did was very wrong and I’d like to apologize again to the injured party and today before the court and assure you that nothing of this nature will happen again,” McGregor said.

The footage of the incident was shown in court after the guilty plea and the judge was informed McGregor had 18 previous convictions dating back to age 19. Michael Staines, McGregor’s representation, asked the court for leniency on the grounds his client was a professional athlete in the U.S. who had a fight coming up in January, per The Journal. He argued a conviction would create issues with a visa.

From The Journal:

He added that McGregor’s “whole career would be in jeopardy in the case of a conviction” and asked the court to take account of all this.

The judge said he “showed remorse” and ensured McGregor already compensated the victim as alleged.

McGregor admits being in the wrong

McGregor was promoting his whiskey in the Dublin pub and punched a man who refused a taste of it. The former UFC champion said in August he was in the wrong and said he tried to make amends with the man he punched. It came across as a contrived statement.

McGregor last fought at UFC 229 in October 2018 and lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov. His last win dates back to November 2016, against Eddie Alvarez. In the time since he’s faced numerous legal issues and briefly retired.

Last week he announced he’ll be back in the Octagon on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas against an unnamed opponent.

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