UFC champion Conor McGregor is believed have been involved in a pub brawl involving an associate of a major crime gang linked to the mass importation of cocaine.
McGregor was in a bar in Dublin’s south side on Sunday night when the fight is alleged to have occurred.
Irish police have still not received a criminal complaint following the pub row, which saw two men punched in the face.
UFC fighter Conor McGregor is believed to have been involved in a pub brawl on Sunday night
McGregor posted an Instagram photo in the early hours of Tuesday morning, appearing to cover his face in the same manner that people do when seeking to hide their identity.
Senior sources said last night that gardaí are ‘still not investigating’ the south Dublin pub brawl, which saw a man in his 50s punched twice in the face.
The man, who is an associate of the Kinahan cartel but is not involved in criminality himself, stepped in to intervene after another man was hit with ‘one punch’ to the head.
The Kinahan crime gang are headed by the ‘Dapper Don’ Christy Kinahan and his son Daniel.
Senior security sources suspect the Kinahan cartel may now ‘intervene’ to ‘try to diffuse’ defuse’ the row before it ‘escalates’.
A senior source said: ‘No – one wants to see one of Ireland’s most high-profile sports celebrities – and icon to kids all over Ireland –dragged into a bitter row involving serious criminals. There is a possibility that the cartel might now get involved to stop anyone escalating further. Conor McGregor is well liked and respected,’ a source said.
The brawl involved a man with connections to crime lord Christy ‘The Dapper Don’ Kinahan
Sources stressed last might night that officers are still not investigating the incident as no criminal complaint has been made. Security sources say gardaí have ‘no plans’ to launch an investigation unless a complaint is lodged.
The south Dublin pub where the alleged attack took place declined to comment when contacted by the Irish Daily Mail, saying it was ‘unaware’ of any violent incident.
Spokespeople representing McGregor did not respond when asked for comment yesterday.
It is understood that Mr McGregor left in a 4×4 vehicle following the row. fracas. The two men who were punched in the altercation did not suffer serious injuries, sources say.
The Mail understands that a man, well-known to the UFC fighter, was involved in an altercation with another man in the Crumlin area a fortnight ago.
This row is believed to have been the ‘catalyst’ for the pub row.
The incident in the pub was still being widely discussed on social media last night. Since his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in the summer, McGregor has generally kept out of the public eye. However, he was involved in controversy a couple of weeks ago after his cage invasion at a Bellator event in the 3Arena in Dublin.
He jumped into the octagon to celebrate with a winning fighter and appeared to strike an official who was attempting to remove him from the ring. He also appeared on RTÉ’s Late Late Show last month, on which he apologised for a recent incident in which he was caught on video using a homophobic slur.
McGregor has not fought in the UFC since he landed the lightweight belt with a win against Eddie Alvarez in New York a year ago. The ‘Notorious’ swapped the octagon for the boxing ring when he took on undefeated Mayweather in August, but came unstuck on his lucrative professional debut in the sport.
The fighter – who issued an apology for his cage invasion at the Dublin Bellator event – is expected to defend the 155lbs UFC belt against interim champion Tony Ferguson next year.