Driving offences In November 2017 McGregor pleaded guilty to exceeding the speed limit in
Rathcoole, County Dublin. He was fined €400. and was fined €1,000 and disqualified from driving for six months. He was released on bail, his car was returned to him, and he was scheduled to appear before Blanchardstown district court in April 2022. On 23 June 2022, McGregor appeared in
Blanchardstown District Court in relation to events on 22 March 2022. He was
remanded on continuing bail pending "further charges" as part of a dangerous driving prosecution. The trial was originally set to begin in January 2023, but McGregor's defence told the court that he could not attend the trial then due to being unwell. The judge ordered the trial to start on 31 July 2024.
Accusations of racism Ahead of his 2015 bout with Brazilian fighter
José Aldo, McGregor was accused of racially taunting Aldo. In 2017, McGregor was accused of racism, after taunting boxer
Floyd Mayweather Jr. ahead of their August 26 boxing match. McGregor told him to "Dance for me, boy," at a promotional event in Los Angeles, before urging the crowd to yell obscenities at Mayweather, his wife and children.
Florida arrest On 11 March 2019, McGregor was arrested outside of the
Fontainebleau Hotel in
Miami Beach, Florida, after he attacked a fan taking a picture on his mobile phone. In an incident that was caught on a security camera, McGregor lunged to hit the man, grabbed his device and smashed it on the ground. He was arrested and charged with
strong-armed robbery and
criminal mischief. McGregor was released on a $5,000 bond. On 14 March 2019, news surfaced that McGregor was also facing a
civil lawsuit from the fan involved in the incident. On 8 April, the civil lawsuit against McGregor was dropped by the fan. On 13 May, it was revealed that the criminal charges against McGregor had also been dropped after the accuser's attorney said that his client had "been made whole" by McGregor, in a reference to an out-of-court settlement that was reached.
Mixed martial arts event incidents Incident at Bellator 187 On 10 November 2017, McGregor's
SBG Ireland teammate
Charlie Ward made his debut at
Bellator 187 in Dublin against John Redmond. Ward knocked out Redmond in round one, and McGregor jumped the cage (he was not a licensed cornerman) to celebrate Ward's win while the fight was not yet officially declared over. McGregor was separated by referee Marc Goddard, as Goddard needed to verify if the knockout was before the bell, and to ensure lock down of the cage for medical staff to assess the health of the knocked out Redmond. McGregor charged towards Goddard: while he pushed and confronted Goddard in a wild melee, he also checked on the downed Redmond and knocked him down while he was trying to get up. McGregor did a lap around the cage after he exited the cage a few minutes later, then climbed and straddled the cage apron to continue the celebration of Ward's win. He was stopped by a commissioner and McGregor, agitated, slapped the commissioner's face. Redmond stated after the fight that Goddard intended to let the fight continue to round two, but the Mohegan Sun commission, which oversaw the event, elected to end the fight due to McGregor's behaviour in the ring. A day after the incident, the head of the commission for Bellator 187, Mike Mazzulli, the president of both the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) and Association of Boxing Commissions, issued a statement, stating that "McGregor's conduct jeopardized the health and safety" of fighters who were in the cage during the Ireland event. In addition, Mr McGregor "assaulted Referee Mark Goddard and a [member of] Bellator staff".
Bus attack at UFC 223 Media Day On 3 April 2018,
Khabib Nurmagomedov and his entourage cornered and slapped
Artem Lobov at a hotel in Brooklyn, New York. Lobov is known to be close to McGregor, with whom Nurmagomedov has had altercations and
trash talk exchanges. On 5 April 2018, during promotional appearances for
UFC 223, McGregor and a group of about twenty others were let into the
Barclays Center by credentialled members of his promotional team. They attempted to confront Nurmagomedov, who was on a bus leaving the arena with "red corner" fighters for UFC 223 on it, such as
Rose Namajunas,
Al Iaquinta,
Karolina Kowalkiewicz,
Ray Borg and
Michael Chiesa. McGregor ran up alongside the slowly moving bus and then ran past it to grab a metal equipment
dolly, which he then threw at the bus's window, before trying to throw other objects in the vicinity. Chiesa and Borg were injured by the shattered glass and sent to hospital. They were soon removed from the card on the advice of the
NYSAC and the UFC's medical team. Lobov was also pulled from his fight for his involvement in the dispute. Dana White said there was a warrant out for McGregor's arrest and the
NYPD said McGregor was a
person of interest. White said McGregor had told him via text message: "This had to be done." "You can imagine he's going to be sued beyond belief", White said, and denied suggestions that the violence was a publicity stunt intended to generate interest in the UFC. McGregor and others involved initially fled the Barclays Center after the incident, although he and a fellow accused turned themselves in that night. McGregor was charged with three counts of
assault and one count of
criminal mischief. He was further charged with menacing and reckless endangerment at his arraignment and was released on $50,000
bail until 14 June 2018. Under the bail conditions negotiated by his then attorney,
Jim Walden, and set by the judge, McGregor was allowed to travel without restriction. On 12 April 2018, McGregor hired lawyer Bruce Mafeo of
Cozen O'Connor to represent him in this matter. McGregor pleaded no contest to a count of disorderly conduct and was ordered to perform five days of community service and attend anger management classes. On 12 September 2018, Chiesa announced a lawsuit against McGregor, saying that he "experienced pain, suffering and a loss of enjoyment of life" as a result of the attack.
Incident at UFC 229 Following the fight at UFC 229 on 6 October 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped out of the cage and charged towards McGregor's training partner
Dillon Danis. Soon afterwards, McGregor and
Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin, also attempted to exit the octagon, but a scuffle broke out after McGregor punched Abubakar, who then punched him back. Two of Nurmagomedov's cornermen retaliated: Esed Emiragaev and
Zubaira Tukhugov. Tukhugov was scheduled to fight on 27 October 2018 at
UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith against
Artem Lobov, the McGregor team member who was confronted by Nurmagomedov in April 2018. Nurmagomedov's payment for the fight was withheld by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) as a result, pending an investigation into his actions. Nurmagomedov appeared at the post-fight interview and apologised to the NSAC. The NSAC filed a formal complaint against both McGregor and Nurmagomedov, and on 24 October, the NSAC voted to release half of Nurmagomedov's $2 million fight payout immediately. Nurmagomedov and McGregor received indefinite bans, at least until the official hearing, which took place in December 2018. On 29 January 2019, the NSAC announced a six-month suspension for McGregor (retroactive to 6 October 2018) and a $50,000 fine. He became eligible to compete again on 6 April 2019.
Assault incidents Dublin pub assault On 15 August 2019,
TMZ Sports published a video that showed McGregor punching an older man at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin. The incident happened on 6 April and was originally reported by Irish media, although without the video that showed the attack. McGregor had repeatedly offered the victim a shot of his whiskey, which the victim repeatedly declined, then McGregor had punched him. McGregor was charged with assault and first appeared in court on 11 October 2019.
Alleged attack on yacht In January 2023, McGregor was accused of assaulting a 42-year-old woman aboard his yacht in
Ibiza, Spain, during his birthday party on 22 July 2022. The woman claimed she was berated by McGregor before being physically assaulted. She further claimed that she was forced to jump from the yacht to escape McGregor and that she sustained a broken arm in the process. The woman did not file a formal statement with Spanish police at the time of the incident. In January, she gave a formal statement with Irish police, who then shared that statement with their Spanish counterparts. The woman has also filed a civil suit against McGregor over the alleged incident. After making her formal statement, the woman's car was burned outside of her Dublin home, though no link was made to McGregor's alleged attack. In February, a brick was reportedly thrown through a window of that residence. In late February 2023, news surfaced that the lawsuit was discontinued by the
plaintiff, with no further information provided.
Punching the Miami Heat mascot On 10 June 2023, McGregor appeared at Game Four of the
2023 NBA Finals in Miami, Florida, to promote his pain relief spray in a planned skit with the
Miami Heat's mascot,
Burnie. McGregor proceeded to punch the man wearing the mascot costume (Heat dancer Chris Brown) once and "knock him out", but then he dealt a second, powerful and apparently off-script punch to Brown's jaw while Brown was on the ground. Brown was subsequently treated in a local hospital emergency room and later released. Most of the crowd in attendance booed McGregor for his actions. On 13 June, three days after the incident, McGregor claimed that "it was a skit" and that "all is well" between the two.
Rape and sexual assault cases Dublin rape case In March 2019,
The New York Times reported that McGregor was under investigation by the
Garda Síochána (police), following allegations of a sexual assault on a woman in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. A second allegation of sexual assault was reported in October 2019, regarding an assault on a woman in a car alleged to have taken place earlier that month. In January 2021, after
prosecutors declined to prosecute McGregor for the 2018 alleged sexual assault, a civil claim for damages was launched in the
High Court. A spokeswoman for McGregor said in a statement that the allegations against him were "categorically rejected" and that he was "confident that justice will prevail" in the civil case. In March 2022, the High Court made a pre-trial discovery order against McGregor requiring the Gardaí to disclose certain information and documents gathered by them. The
civil action was taken against McGregor by Nikita Hand, who alleged he violently beat and raped her in Dublin in December 2018. The trial began in the
High Court in Dublin on , with Mr. Justice
Alexander Owens as judge. On , the jury returned their verdict and found that McGregor had raped Hand. Accordingly, McGregor was ordered to pay Hand nearly in damages. On , Justice Owens ordered McGregor to pay the entirety of Hand's legal costs, approximately , and said that he may begin
contempt of court proceedings against McGregor for his comments about the case on social media after it concluded. During his cross-examination, McGregor admitted to using
cocaine. It also emerged that Hand's partner had been stabbed and windows were smashed when attackers wearing balaclavas invaded their home in June 2024. This information was withheld from the jury during the trial. In light of the court ruling,
IO Interactive ceased its collaboration with McGregor, removing content that featured him from their
Hitman video game series. The Rape Crisis Network Ireland also called for retailers to stop selling his stout and whiskey brands. Various retailers and Irish wholesalers, including the
Musgrave Group, announced that they would no longer stock his beer brand or whiskey, which would see the brands removed from
SuperValu,
Centra,
Tesco Ireland,
Spar, Mace and Londis stores, among others. A few days after the verdict, Proper No. Twelve-parent company Proximo Spirits announced it would no longer feature McGregor in association with the brand.
Wetherspoons and other pub chains likewise stopped selling McGregor's stout brand. At the start of July 2025 McGregor withdrew his application to bring in new witnesses, Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins, and evidence in support of his appeal against the finding that he had raped Hand. The late withdrawal of the witnesses and evidence was described by her legal team as a concession that the evidence was a lie and that the matter should be referred to the
Director of Public Prosecutions to consider perjury, which the court agreed to do. On 31 July, McGregor lost his appeal and the original ruling was upheld. Hand's legal team has initiated legal proceedings to seek damages from McGregor, O'Reilly, and Cummins. Following the failed appeal, McGregor brought a further appeal to the
Supreme Court using new lawyers. In December 2025 the judges found that he had had a fair hearing, had used his right of appeal and refused further appeal. Nikita Hand welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court.
Miami Heat – alleged sexual assault On 11 June 2023, Miami police received a report that McGregor had sexually assaulted a woman the previous night in a toilet at the
Miami Heat arena, after Game Four of the
NBA Finals. McGregor released a statement denying the allegation. On 18 October, the case was dropped. On January 15, 2025, a lawsuit was filed against McGregor in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, accusing him of sexual assault during an NBA Finals game in Miami on June 9, 2023. The suit alleges that McGregor assaulted a 49-year-old woman in a bathroom at the Kaseya Center, home of the
Miami Heat. The plaintiff, identified as a vice president at a prominent Wall Street financial firm, claims that McGregor "intentionally engaged in unlawful sexual contact", "attempted to forcefully place his unprotected penis into [her] mouth without her consent". She attempted to leave the stall, but McGregor allegedly slammed her against a wall face first, put her in an arm lock and "attempted to forcefully place his unprotected penis into [the victim's] anus without her consent." The lawsuit also names the Miami Heat and arena staff as defendants, alleging gross negligence in their handling of the situation. Key details of the lawsuit include an allegation that the woman was led to the men's restroom by a member of McGregor's team; and that arena staff and security were aware of potential misconduct but failed to provide adequate protection. The plaintiff's attorney stated that his client's main goal in filing the lawsuit was to raise awareness and encourage others to report sexual assault. The lawsuit seeks medical treatment costs, compensatory damages, and other relief from both McGregor and the Heat organisation.
Unsolicited nude photos incident In July 2025, rapper
Azealia Banks, writing on
X, accused McGregor of sending her unsolicited
dick pics. However, in later posts Banks stated she and McGregor had in fact been exchanging unsolicited nude pictures as far back as 2016. ==Political views==