Conor McGregor is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the Miami Heat game where a prank with the team’s mascot went viral.
The woman alleges McGregor forced himself on her in a bathroom on June 9 after Game 4 of the NBA Finals and has filed a police report with Miami police, her attorney Ariel Mitchell told MMA Fighting after an initial report from TMZ.
Mitchell on Monday sent a demand letter that alleges security for the Miami Heat and NBA forced the woman into the restroom. McGregor, she wrote, emerged from a handicap stall and “aggressively” assaulted the woman, allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex. He also allegedly attempted to rape her, while security prevented anyone – including the woman’s friend – from entering the restroom.
The demand letter is introduced as “re: sexual assault, battery, unlawful restraint, kidnapping, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, etc.” It notes “this firm has been instructed to explore all reasonable settlement offers to resolve these claims before they escalate further. In the event you or your attorneys fail to contact this firm by 7 p.m. EST on June 12, 2023, to discuss an acceptable resolution, we will assume that you do not intend to settle this matter and will proceed with litigation.”
McGregor, via his legal team, called the allegations “false” and added the former champ “will not be intimidated.” A UFC spokesperson said of the alleged incident: “The organization is aware of the recent allegations regarding Conor McGregor and will continue to gather additional details regarding the incident. UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements.”
Shortly after the TMZ report, Miami Heat released a statement confirming the team is “conducting a full investigation” and declined further comment on the matter.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 15, 2023
A spokesperson for Miami Police said the agency is looking into the matter; MMA Fighting has requested a copy of the police report number provided by Mitchell.
In her description of the incident, Mitchell alleges McGregor forced his tongue down the woman’s throat while kissing her aggressively. The woman tried to free herself by saying she had to urinate, she wrote, but McGregor then allegedly forced her to have oral sex. He also allegedly pinned the woman against the wall and attempted to sodomize her, in the process ripping the elastic waistband of her pants.
Mitchell wrote the woman repeatedly elbowed McGregor during the alleged assault, which allowed her to escape. In the process, she forgot her purse and alleged McGregor’s security held it “hostage” and was only returned “after several desperate pleas.”
“Immediately after this assault, the victim contacted law enforcement and retained this firm,” Mitchell wrote.
Mitchell also sent MMA Fighting several photos she said are attached to the case: the business card of a Miami Police detective and a what appears to be an evidence bag of clothing.
This past August, Mitchell was accused of witness tampering in a sexual assault lawsuit against signer Trey Songz. Per a TMZ report, a woman testified that Mitchell offered her between $100,000 and $200,000 to lie that she’d witnessed Songz assault the alleged victim in the lawsuit – and that she’d also been the victim of assault. The woman said Mitchell planned to take the allegations to Songz’s legal team to get a larger monetary settlement in the case.
Mitchell told MMA Fighting the woman who testified is facing charges of perjury and countered Songz’s legal team “tried to discredit me because I had four clients accusing him of sexual assault and wanted to tarnish my reputation so people would stop seeking me out for representation and to get me to cease representation on my other clients.”
McGregor has been accused of sexually assaulting women on multiple occasions. In 2018, Irish police investigated the claim of a woman who said he raped her in a Dublin hotel. After no charges were filed, the alleged victim sued him in civil court; the resolution of the case is unknown. In 2020, French police arrested him after he was accused of exposing himself to a woman in the restroom of a bar; he was ultimately not charged with a crime.
The Irish star just wrapped a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter 31 and is expected to face opposing leader Michael Chandler. However, the promotion has not announced a date for the fight.