It was one of the more curious viral social media moments of the season so far.
After Arsenal had dispatched Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, footage emerged of former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor play-fighting on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium with Bukayo Saka.
McGregor trying his UFC moves on Saka 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/q8JAmwNxzo
— george (@StokeyyG2) October 2, 2024
So what was the story behind it?
Who is Conor McGregor?
McGregor is the most commercially successful UFC fighter in history, whose bouts have pulled in millions of fans on pay-per-view television. More recently, he has also tried his hand at boxing – while less successful in a sporting sense (he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2017) it was a huge draw for fans.
Coupled with a vast array of business interests — ranging from fashion brands to whiskey distilling — he was named Forbes’ highest-paid athlete in 2021 with earnings of a reported $180million.
But McGregor also comes with significant baggage. He was convicted of assault in 2019 after punching a man in a Dublin pub and attacked the mascot of NBA team Miami Heat in 2023, leaving him in hospital — something he later claimed was a “skit”. He was also accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a bathroom at the same NBA event: he denied the allegations and the case was subsequently dropped.
Why was he at the Arsenal game?
McGregor has professed support for a variety of teams over the years — including Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Celtic — so his appearance on the Emirates pitch was surprising.
The 36-year-old was in London on Tuesday to promote his drink ‘Forged’ — an Irish stout — and attended the Arsenal-PSG game after his team contacted Spanish businessman Alvaro Canas, the founder of 1 Access, a company whose website say they “specialise in providing consultancy services and corporate packages for the most exclusive events in the world for our ultra-high net worth clientele”.
1 Access have a box at the Emirates, and it was here that McGregor watched the game, having arrived at the stadium in his Rolls-Royce, accompanied by a friend and his security detail.
After the game, a video posted on Instagram shows him in the players’ tunnel and having his picture taken with Declan Rice.
It also shows McGregor having a kickabout with Saka, with separate footage showing the pretend ‘fight’.
McGregor is seen aiming few gentle kicks at the England international and pretending to try and throw him to the floor. The pair walk away laughing, with Saka saying, “Be careful!”
What did the club make of it?
McGregor’s visit and appearance on the pitch was not pre-approved by Arsenal, as his tickets had been organised by a third party.
While there was some surprise when officials realised McGregor was on the pitch, there was no suggestion of any security breach. It lasted no more than a couple of minutes, with most staff and players viewing it as harmless fun.
(Top photo: Kate Green/Getty Images for Prime Video UK)
