Conor McGregor has barred Irish football legend Paul McGrath from his pub after mocking him for his lengthy battle with alcoholism.
The pair are both legendary Irish sportsmen, with McGrath winning 83 caps for his country throughout an iconic career while McGregor is a two-weight world champion in the famously difficult featherweight and lightweight divisions. However, the fighter has found himself in a bitter social media spat with the former footballer as he feuds with comedian PJ Gallagher.
McGrath came out in defence of Gallagher on Sunday afternoon after McGregor took aim at the comedian over a joke he had made a few days prior. The former Manchester United defender slammed the UFC star as a "bully" and insisted that Gallagher was "loved by everyone".
And now McGregor has now taken further aim at his fellow sporting icon, claiming that he is banned from a pub in his hometown of Dublin before then insisting that he wouldn't be allowed at any of the pubs he owns. The former world champion has recently purchased a number of new establishments after refurbishing the Black Forge Inn and turning into a major hotspot.
"McGrath backed PJ, said I was a bully," McGregor told a fan who said it was "unacceptable" to go after the footballer. "Yet I was attacked first. He then said I need God. McGrath isn’t even allowed in pubs in the area where he lives. My area, Dublin 12. He is barred from the Gate Bar pub. It’s just hypocritical all round. Will be leaving it behind shortly."
In another tweet, McGregor wrote: "Ooh aah Paul McGrath he’s barred from the gate bar for been a f***in' spa. Ha ha. Best stay out of it Paul, I bully no one. I just come back at people when they try and bully me. End of. Also, you’re barred from all my pubs as well now."
He quickly deleted the tweets before challenging McGrath and Gallagher to a "two vs one" boxing match, with the proceeds going to mental health and anti-bullying organisations. The footballer has an infamously bad knee after his lengthy career, which forced him to retire from the sport in the late 90s, while Gallagher is a comedian, not an athlete.
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McGregor's decision to feud with McGrath, who told him to "find God" in an exchange on Sunday, has angered fans in Ireland who revere the former footballer. He was one of the star players in the nation's first World Cup appearance at the Italia '90 tournament, as well as the following tournament in America, and is beloved across the nation.
In one low blow from the famed fighter, he claimed that McGrath was an "Englishman" during their exchange over the weekend. The footballer was born in London due to his mother's fears about being found to be pregnant outside of wedlock in 1950s Ireland, but spent almost his entire childhood being raised in Dublin in a foster home after being forcibly taken from his mother.
The footballer has been open about his struggles with alcoholism over the years, admitting that he used to play matches while drunk and has been admitted to rehab on multiple occasions. In a 2012 interview on RTE's Late Late Show, he claimed that his former Ireland manager Jack Charlton would heavily police his drinking during international trips.
"He wanted me to stay away from drink and stuff like that," McGrath recalled. "He had people sitting outside my door when the other lads were allowed out on certain nights to go on the tear. I used to watch them out of my bedroom window as taxis would pull up and they're in their gear, with tears streaming down my eyes... Usually there was only one lad left outside."
