Conor McGregor accused of sexual assault at NBA Finals

Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has reportedly been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Miami earlier this month.

A woman has alleged that McGregor assaulted her after an NBA Finals basketball game at Kaseya Centre. Her lawyer sent a legal letter to McGregor stating that the former UFC champion "violently" assaulted her in a toilet during the Miami Heat's game four defeat to Denver in the NBA Finals on June 9, reported BBC.

Details about the alleged incident

McGregor is alleged to have "aggressively kissed" his accuser before trying to force her into sex acts.

Miami Police received an official report regarding the incident on Sunday (June 11). "This is an open investigation so no additional information can be released at this time," a police department spokeswoman said.

The woman's lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, stated that her client had been watching game four of the NBA Finals on June 9 before the alleged incident happened. In the legal letter to McGregor, Ms. Mitchell alleged the woman was forced into a men's washroom by security guards before McGregor violently sexually assaulted her.

The letter further claimed that while the woman was able to free herself from the bathroom, she left behind her purse, which she is believed to have been retrieved after requesting the security guards.

Ms. Mitchell has also claimed that she had obtained video footage showing part of the alleged incident.

However, the 34-year-old UFC star has denied those allegations. "The allegations are false. Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated," a statement from McGregor's lawyer Barbara Llanes read, according to Aljazeera.

Miami Heat, NBA's investigations

Meanwhile, police in Miami have confirmed that its special victims unit was investigating a report filed on Sunday. Both the Miami Heat, which hosted the NBA Finals game and the NBA are aware of the reports and are conducting a thorough investigation.

"We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation. Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment," the Heat said in a statement.

During the NBA Finals game, McGregor made headlines once again for the wrong reasons after the Irish athlete hit the Miami Heat's mascot during half-time, in an apparent stunt for a pain relief spray he was promoting. The person acting as the mascot was later on taken to a local hospital for treatment after the incident before being sent home with pain medication.

McGregor, who was booed on several instances by the crowd at the NBA game, has not fought since injuring his left leg in a defeat to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. McGregor's last victory came in January 2020.

The UFC star was removed from the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) program after suffering a bad leg-break injury two years ago so that doctors could treat him with a variety of substances that would melt a drug testing kit. McGregor defended the move several months ago, saying critics, "would be happier if I wasn't able to play with my children the same again."

"The percentage of the bones joining back after a break like this is so low. You think I give a f— about anything else. I am the most tested fighter of all time in combat sports. I give everything to this game," he wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

Meanwhile, McGregor has just a few hours left to enter the USADA testing pool if he is going to fight at UFC 296 which is the final PPV of the year. If he doesn't enter the random six-month testing pool by Friday, he will not be fighting in 2023 per the rules of USADA, as per Verdict MMA.

UFC 296 is scheduled to take place inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 16, 2023.