Conor McGregor admits he was ‘in the wrong’ punching a pub patron; addresses retirement comments
Conor McGregor, speaking to ESPN on Thursday, made his first public statement about punching a pub patron in the face back in April of this year. McGregor admitted he was "in the wrong."
The incident, according to a TMZ report, occurred on April 6 at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin. McGregor apparently stepped into the pub to buy a round of his Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey for the patrons, lining up glasses for each and pouring it himself.
One man apparently refused the whiskey, which allegedly led to McGregor throwing a punch at the man. Two other men immediately grabbed McGregor and removed him from the pub, but the incident was caught on camera.
There was no sound on the recording, so it was unclear what was said between McGregor and the pub patron that refused his hospitality.
UFC president Dana White recently discussed the incident on The Jim Rome Show, saying, “That happened in April, and I knew that happened. They just got the video, and, yeah, it’s pretty bad.”
RELATED > Video surfaces of Conor McGregor punching bar patron for refusing his whiskey
McGregor apparently agreed with White's sentiment.
“In reality, it doesn’t matter what happened there. I was in the wrong," he told ESPN's Ariel Helwani. "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. I tried to make amends. And I made amends back then. That doesn’t even matter; I was in the wrong.
“I have to realize, that’s not the attitude or behavior of a leader or martial artist, of a champion,” McGregor continued. “I must get my head screwed on and just get back in the cage (and) fight for redemption, retribution, respect. The things that made me the man I am. And that’s what I will do.”
McGregor has been somewhat quiet about his fighting career recently, even having mentioned retirement. That's nothing new, however, as McGregor has stated his retirement in the past, only to return to the Octagon.
With his latest remarks, that appears to be the case once again, as McGregor said, "Sometimes you just need to take a back step. I don't think I will ever retire from this game."
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