A lawyer for Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor has described allegations of sexual assault against him as “a shakedown”.
The Miami-based legal firm, Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, also accused the alleged victim’s lawyers of changing their claims after new video footage was released by US media outlet TMZ.
“After the video was released by TMZ, the claimant’s lawyer now has changed her story,” said McGregor’s attorney Barbara R Llanes in a statement to The Irish Times on Friday.
“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.”
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McGregor’s representative first issued a statement on Thursday, when the allegations emerged in the US news media, saying the claims were “false”, adding “Mr McGregor will not be intimidated”.
The Miami Police Department has also confirmed it is investigating the allegations, saying its “Special Victims Unit is investigating a report that was filed” last Sunday, June 11th. “This is an open investigation so no additional information can be released at this time,” it added.
The alleged victim’s lawyers said on Thursday their client was attended an NBA basketball at the Kaseya Center, Miami, last weekend, after which she claims she was separated from her friend by security staff and taken into a bathroom.
The woman alleged Mr McGregor was waiting inside the bathroom, where she claimed the sexual assault took place. She says she elbowed the Dubliner and escaped. She is seeking a settlement from McGregor, as well as the NBA and Miami Heat, who hosted the game. The woman claims Heat security staff helped separate her from her friend.
The woman’s lawyers have said their client was in the nightclub inside the NBA venue in the company of Mr McGregor when he left to use the bathroom. It is claimed someone linked to the Irish fighter then approached the woman, telling her Mr McGregor had asked for her.
According to her lawyer, the woman went with that person. The alleged victim claims she believed she was being led away to leave the club with Mr McGregor to go to a hotel with him. Instead, she claims, she was taken to the bathroom in the venue. She alleges she was attacked there, which Mr McGregor strongly denies.
TMZ has now published videos, filmed by other people in attendance on the night, depicting the scenes outside the men’s toilets in the club. They show a very crowded area, when Mr McGregor appears to emerge from the toilets followed by security personnel.
He than pauses briefly in the crowd and turns back towards the toilets, leading a woman, said to be the alleged victim, into the bathroom. When they go inside, a number of men stand at the entrance to the toilets, blocking the doors for other people to enter.
In a statement, Miami Heat said: “We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation. Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”
Mr McGregor was a guest at the game between Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat last Friday and was involved in an on-court skit in which he staged a mock fight with the Heat mascot. However, the person inside the mascot suit needed medical attention after taking two punches from the fighter.
The Dubliner is the biggest star in UFC, mixed martial arts’ largest promotion, but has not fought since 2021.
“The organisation is aware of the recent allegations regarding Conor McGregor and will continue to gather additional details regarding the incident,” said UFC in a statement. “UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements.”
