‘In the wrong’: Viral video forces McGregor to apologize for punching 50yo man in the head

Five months after punching in the head a man nearly twice his age – who wasn’t a fan and declined a shot of the Irishman's whiskey – Connor McGregor was forced to apologize… because the incident in the Irish pub went viral.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight champion is known for his short temper and his readiness to start a fight. The 31-year-old fighter, however, is not widely known as someone who can easily cough up an apology.

Yet on Thursday, McGregor took responsibility for his appalling and “unacceptable behavior” on April 6. “I was in the wrong,” McGregor told ESPN. “It was completely unacceptable behavior for a man in my position.”

I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility. I owe it to the people that have been supporting me.

While the Irish professional mixed martial artist claimed he tried to “make amends,” his 50-year-old victim still considers McGregor just a “bully with money” who attacked a man for simply refusing his newly launched Proper 12 whiskey. 

The viral footage of the altercation showed McGregor pouring three shots of his branded drink at the Marble Arch pub in Dublin. The ultimate fighting machine then clinks glasses with one man, but another seems to decline the offer. In an instant, McGregor delivers a crushing blow with his left to the man's head. The Irishman is then dragged away as the victim wobbles on his seat.

“I am sitting on the bar stool just having a quiet pint with my friend then all of a sudden because I refuse his drink I get a punch,” the victim told the Irish Daily Star, stressing that while he felt the pain from the strike even a week later, it was not a killing blow.

It’s unclear if any words were exchanged between the pair before the alleged punch, but authorities are now investigating the incident, for which McGregor said he would accept any consequences.

Whatever comes my way, I deserve it. I will face this head-on. I will not hide from it.

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