"Conor McGregor is in a very dangerous place" - When 'The Notorious' had a $1.06M bounty on his head for allegedly punching an Irish mafia member
Conor McGregor has had several altercations with civilians outside the UFC octagon, one of which almost landed him in serious trouble.
McGregor allegedly punched a middle-aged man related to a top member of the renowned Kinahan cartel at the Black Forge Inn in Crumlin on 26 November 2017. 'The Notorious' was reportedly assaulting a young man before a man in his 50s related to drug boss Graham 'The Wig' Whelan stepped into the melee.
The individual who was ushered away from the scene seemingly didn't file any official complaint as per the police, rendering them unable to take action. Irish news outlets ran the story mentioning the involvement of 'a celebrity' which McGregor confirmed to be himself via an Instagram post.
A source told the Irish Sun that the cartel was demanding €900,000 (£790,000, $1.06m) in protection money as they were well aware of the UFC superstar's financial status. The Sun also reported that the individual was in fact the father of a a gangster, well respected in the upper echelons of the Kinahan cartel.
Conor McGregor bounty: 'The Notorious' was reportedly in a precarious position
After the reported imposition of a hefty bounty on his head, Conor McGregor was reportedly in a very dangerous position. According to Irish crime reporter Paul Williams, the dangerous Kinahan cartel wouldn't care about McGregor's achievements before dragging him 'into the cesspit'.
Williams told the International Business Times in an earlier interview:
"I have to say about this, and I'm wearing my old, veteran crime reporter hat. Conor McGregor is in a very dangerous place at the moment. He has come into conflict through probably no fault of his own, with a group of very, very dangerous people who are tied up with the Kinahans."
He further added:
"These people do not care who Conor McGregor is, what he stands for, how powerful he is, they will drag him down into the cesspit. I would say, in the next 48 hours, if he still in the country — and I understand that he may have left the country — but if he is still in the country, I understand from my sources that the Garda will be approaching him to give him a GIM form, which is a Garda Information Message, to tell him that there may be threats to his safety."
However, McGregor's father Tony dismissed all threat reports claiming the whole saga had been blown out of proportion. While it's unclear if 'Notorious' paid the $1.06m bounty, the matter never came up again.
Conor McGregor pub brawl claim: Dad Tony hits back and insists Kinahan cartel 'aren't after us' https://t.co/JrzndWHHgo