Conor McGregor Accused of Attempted Rape During NBA Finals Game

Conor McGregor, an Irish mixed martial artist and former UFC champion who has had many run-ins with the law over the years, now stands accused of a violent sexual assault against an unnamed woman during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami. Through a lawyer, McGregor has denied the allegations.

A demand letter shared with Rolling Stone by the accuser’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, describes the woman’s alleged encounter with McGregor in graphic detail. After the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on June 9 at the Kaseya Center, the letter claims McGregor “aided and abetted by the NBA and Miami Heat Kaseya security, had the victim physically forced via security into the [VIP] men’s bathroom, separating her from her friend and trapping her inside with Mr. McGregor and his security guard.”

The woman was prevented from escaping, the letter alleges, while McGregor stuck his tongue down her throat, attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him, and then tried to sodomize her — all unsuccessfully — as the victim continued to struggle. In the end, the document claims, she was able to flee the bathroom, leaving behind her purse, which “was then held hostage by Mr. McGregor’s security” and returned to her only “after several desperate pleas […] so she could leave the venue.”

McGregor’s attendance at the playoff game is not in dispute, as he appeared on the court that night for a scripted segment with the Miami Heat’s mascot, Burnie, to promote his TIDL pain relief spray. He twice punched the costumed character — perhaps harder than intended, as the performer had to be taken to a local hospital’s emergency room, but was said to have made a speedy recovery.

Mitchell also sent letters to the National Basketball Association and the Miami Heat, claiming that the organizations are accessories to a sexual assault due to the alleged involvement of security guards in endangering her client. “The Miami Heat and Kaseya Center have a duty to its invited guests in its arenas to protect them from violent assaults,” these letters state. “Instead of upholding this duty, the Heat and Kaseya Center aided a known predator in perpetrating violence at an NBA Finals venue.”

“We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation,” the Miami Heat noted in a statement also shared on their social media channels. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, “We are aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information.”

“My client originally went to the police on Sunday but was encouraged by the detective to hire an attorney first, and then she hired me Sunday night,” Mitchell tells Rolling Stone. “The demand letters and conversations I had with the parties informed them that once I returned we would either resolve the matter or proceed as my client intended with filing a police report during our appointment time.” The City of Miami Police Department has yet to confirm that they have a report on the incident that matches the case number Mitchell provided. Mitchell also shared a photograph of bagged clothes that she says her client was wearing the night of the alleged attack, which she claims have been “turned over to the police for forensic testing.” 

McGregor has retained Miami attorney Barbara Llanes, whose office gave a statement on his behalf: “The allegations are false. Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated.” His manager, Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports, did not respond to a request for comment. McGregor has previously been investigated for alleged sexual assaults in Ireland and Corsica, though never charged. Another woman sued him this year for an alleged assault on his yacht near Ibiza last July but later dropped the case. In 2019, McGregor pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in a Dublin pub.

Ariel Mitchell previously represented an anonymous professional dancer who accused singer Chris Brown of rape but cut ties with that client in 2022 when her text messages to Brown following the alleged incident were leaked to the media. The suit was dropped in August. Mitchell also represents a woman named Jauhara Jeffries, who is suing singer Trey Songz over an alleged 2018 sexual assault in Miami. An attorney representing Songz last year accused Mitchell of attempted witness tampering in that case; she has denied the allegation.

Mitchell’s letters to McGregor, the NBA, and the Miami Heat were sent “in anticipation of litigation,” though with the intent “to explore all reasonable settlement offers to resolve these claims before they escalate further.”