Conor McGregor seems to have a habit of staying in the headlines. The Irish mixed martial artist often does what he likes without much consideration for warnings and consequences. And sometimes he gets mushed in controversies with different sports as well. Just like he did this time with Arsenal FC, which put the Irishman on the radar for an internal probe. 

As Arsenal impressed the world with its performance at the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain FC, McGregor accompanied the players onto the pitch. But it was the interaction he had with Bukayo Saka that got the most attention. Social media has boomed with footage of the ‘Mystic Mac’ sparring with the Arsenal star. Needless to say, it was all for fun. 

But even though the England international Saka took the playful fighting in good-spirited humor, things were different for Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal FC. Arteta seemingly got triggered by the act and was concerned about losing a star player like Saka. With the schedule of the Premier League, and Champions League on the move, losing someone like Saka will put the team in great jeopardy. 

According to many reports, the football club is investigating to pinpoint how exactly the mixed martial artist found his way to the pitch without proper clearance or permission. According to The Telegraph, it was a third-party provider who got McGregor the VIP tickets to the match which was hosted by 1 Access. This hospitality organization had a box at the stadium. Later on, the Irish fighter met some men from Arsenal FC and went to the ground with them. No wonder this wasn’t challenged by the security. After all, McGregor is indeed a star who carries big brand value. 

This was definitely not the only time when Conor McGregor had an interaction with the soccer world. There was a time when he declared that he would compete with Christiano Ronaldo. But the subject of the competition was something that extracted nothing but laughter from the soccer legend.

Conor McGregor shares a laugh with Christiano Ronaldo

During the fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, at Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena, back on 28 October 2023, McGregor and Ronaldo sat next to each other to watch the fight. No doubt, the duo shared a brief exchange of pleasantries, McGregor said, “We’re gonna have our baby in three weeks. Another boy on the way. He’s very healthy.”

But when the Al Nassr star told the MMA fighter that he was the father of 5 children, the Irishman said, “Oh, catching up. On the fours! On the fours, yeah!” This brought out a chuckle from Ronaldo’s significant other, Georgina Rodriguez. McGregor had already surpassed Ronaldo on the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes in 2021. And now, he tried to match the former Portuguese soccer captain with the number of children. 

As hilarious as this interaction was for the fighter, his interaction with Saka had a completely different outcome. Arsenal FC will surely focus more on security and will become pretty stringent on who to let onto the pitch. And as the situation stands currently, McGregor might just not return for a playful spar with another player. 

What are your thoughts on the internal probe? Did McGregor do the right thing with the playful fighting? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.