Mike Tyson Says Conor McGregor 'Earned' a 2nd Chance: 'He's a Really Kind Man'
August 23, 2019
Legendary boxer Mike Tyson expressed his belief Thursday that former UFC star Conor McGregor deserves a shot at redemption in the public eye after punching a 50-year-old man at a bar in Dublin in April.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Tyson praised McGregor as a person after his apology on ESPN: "He's a wonderful person. He's a really kind man, and he's gonna get good karma for that. ... I believe that."
In an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani on Thursday, McGregor took responsibility for punching the man at the bar and expressed remorse:
"In reality, it doesn't matter what happened there. I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it to end the way it did. And although it was five months ago, I tried to make amends, and I made amends back then.
"But that does not even matter. I was in the wrong. I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility. I owe it to the people that have been supporting me. I owe it to my mother, my father, my family. I owe it to the people who trained me in martial arts.
"That's not who I am. That's not the reason why I got into martial arts or studying combat sports. The reason I got into it was to defend against that type of scenario. I have been continually making steps to do better and be better. I'm just here to own up to that and move on and carry on and face what's coming with it."
In response, Tyson said he thinks McGregor has "earned" another chance, although this isn't McGregor's first
In April 2018, McGregor infamously threw a metal dolly through the window of a bus carrying UFC fighters on media day for UFC 223. McGregor was trying to attack Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he ended up injuring other fighters, some of whom had to pull out of their scheduled fights.
The Irishman was also part of a brawl following his loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, and he was alleged to have taken a man's cellphone and smashed it in March. The charges were later dropped.
In March, McGregor retired from MMA shortly before the New York Times reported the 31-year-old was under investigation by Irish police for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in December. He was arrested and released, though no charges have been filed.