A second complaint came as the mixed martial arts star waited to see whether prosecutors would charge him in another case.
Conor McGregor, one of the biggest stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is being investigated over a sexual assault allegation, the second such case in less than 12 months, according to people familiar with the matter.
The most recent allegation relates to a complaint that a woman in her 20s was sexually assaulted in a vehicle parked outside a Dublin pub last week, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of Irish laws surrounding investigations. McGregor, a 31-year-old mixed martial arts fighter who is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, has not been charged, and the police have yet to interview him about the allegation. He was already waiting to hear whether he would be charged following a complaint that he
assaulted a woman in Dublin last December.
The Irish news media have reported on both sexual assault cases but without naming McGregor. Laws in Ireland restrict the news media from identifying individuals charged with rape unless they are convicted, which has not happened in either instance. News outlets reporting the identity of a suspect before a charge often face costly libel and breach of privacy lawsuits in Ireland. Publication after a charge is filed could lead to a more serious contempt of court indictment.
Newspapers and broadcasters have instead linked the two cases and typically described the suspect as a famous or well-known Irish sports star. Ireland’s police service, known as the Garda, declined to comment on the profession of the person accused of the second assault.
“Investigations ongoing and no arrests at this time,” a Garda statement said.
“Owing to the nature of the investigation we will not be commenting further at this time.”
In August, five months after The New York Times first named McGregor in connection with the first sexual assault allegation, Dana White said he knew
“zero” about it, before adding:
“To be honest with you, the back-and-forth that I’ve had with him about that is that it’s not him — it’s somebody else. So I don’t know.”
The allegations have not been proved, and the existence of the investigations does not imply that McGregor is guilty of any crime.
“Conor McGregor is frequently the subject of rumors,” a publicist for the fighter said in an emailed statement.
“He emphatically denies any report accusing him of sexual assault.”