Conor McGregor will not face charges over sexual assault claim

UFC fighter Conor McGregor will not face charges over a claim of sexual assault that allegedly occurred at an NBA finals game in Florida in June. The prosecutors have informed the BBC that the case against McGregor has been dropped. The alleged incident took place during Game 4 of last year’s NBA finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets.

An unnamed woman had accused McGregor of forcibly assaulting her in a VIP bathroom at the Kaseya Center in Miami. She also claimed that arena security assisted in the attack by trapping her in the toilet. McGregor, who is 35 years old and from Ireland, has consistently denied the allegation since it came to light last year.

In a letter obtained by the BBC in the past, the woman’s lawyer stated that she was forced into a men’s bathroom by security guards from the NBA and Miami Heat, where she was sexually assaulted by McGregor. The letter further alleged that the security personnel for the league, team, and arena facilitated the assault by coercing her into the bathroom. Security footage later emerged showing McGregor and the woman entering the bathroom together.

Barbara Llanes, McGregor’s lawyer, expressed satisfaction with the decision to drop the case. Llanes remarked that following a comprehensive investigation, including the review of videos and interviews with eyewitnesses, the authorities concluded that there was no basis for pursuing charges against McGregor. She added that the decision confirmed McGregor’s account of the evening.

Since suffering a broken leg during a fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, McGregor has not competed in the UFC. However, he recently took a step towards returning to the sport by re-entering the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. McGregor was expected to face Michael Chandler this year, but he will have to wait until he has been in the testing pool for six months before he can compete. His return to action is now anticipated in 2024.

It is worth noting that McGregor has faced other controversies in the past, including allegations of assaulting a man in a Dublin pub in 2019. Nevertheless, in the recent sexual assault case, McGregor’s legal team maintains his innocence, and the decision to drop the charges has brought relief to the UFC star and his family.