UFC star Conor McGregor is facing allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in an arena restroom after Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami, TMZ reported on Thursday.
The woman, through her lawyer, sent letters to the fighter, the NBA and the Miami Heat requesting a settlement in lieu of legal action, the report said.
On Friday, TMZ provided a cellphone video showing McGregor leading the alleged accuser into the bathroom.
“After TMZ published the video, the plaintiff’s attorney has now changed her story,” McGregor’s attorney Barbara R. Llanes told TMZ. “Mr. McGregor welcomes the investigation, which he firmly believes will show that the allegations against him are false. After he failed to respond to a demand for money made by the complainant’s lawyer, she turned to the media to put pressure on him. This is nothing more than a shakedown.”
The woman’s lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, claims in the letters that the woman was forced into a toilet by team and NBA security guards, where McGregor and his security guard were waiting for her. McGregor then “aggressively kissed” the woman while the security guard prevented everyone from leaving the restroom, Mitchell wrote.
McGregor then forced her to perform oral sex on him and when he tried to continue having sex, the woman elbowed him repeatedly and managed to escape, according to Mitchell. She reported the alleged assault to the Florida police on 11 June. UFC officials told TMZ they are aware of the allegations.
“The UFC will allow the legal process to unfold before making any additional statements,” the promotion said in a statement. McGregor sat courtside at the June 9 match and participated in a promotional act during halftime in which he repeatedly punched the Heat mascot. The mascot, Burnie, had to go to the emergency room and was sent home with painkillers, USA Today reported.