This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On August 22, 2019, Conor McGregor, a 31-year-old Irish mixed martial arts star, apologized for his attack on an older man in a Dublin bar.
McGregor's apology came after a video of the incident, which showed him punching the man in an unprovoked attack, went viral last week.
"I was in the wrong," McGregor said in an interview with ESPN. "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did."
McGregor, an icon of the UFC, acknowledged that his behavior was unacceptable and took responsibility for his actions.
"I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility. I owe it to the people that have been supporting me. I owe it to my mother, my father, my family. I owe it to the people who trained me in martial arts. That's not who I am," McGregor said.
The incident is now being investigated by police, and McGregor stated that he is ready to accept any punishment meted out.
"Whatever comes my way, I will face it," McGregor said. "Whatever comes my way, I deserve it. I will face this head on. I will not hide from it. I was in the wrong. It was completely unacceptable behaviour for a man in my position."
McGregor, who announced his retirement in March, expressed his desire to return to fighting and seek redemption.
"I must get my head screwed on and just get back in the game and fight for redemption, retribution, respect - the things that made me the man I am," McGregor said.
McGregor has not fought since being battered into submission by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
