Michael Bisping gives take on Conor McGregor apology

When video surfaced showing Conor McGregor punching an older man at a bar in Dublin, the Irish star immediately had some explaining to do.

McGregor did that explaining in an interview with ESPN last week, and also offered an apology. 

“In reality, it doesn’t matter what happened there,” McGregor said. “I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did. And although five months ago it was and I tried to make amends, and I made amends back then. 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,” McGregor continued. “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. So to see that, although months ago I have been making steps and continually making steps to do better and be better, to see it is like a dagger into my heart as a new martial artist. So, I’m just here to own up to that and move on and carry on and face what’s coming with it.”

Speaking on his Believe You Me podcast, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping reacted to this apology as Conor McGregor. He seems to appreciate the Irishman’s apology, but recognizes damage control when he sees it.

“You know what I mean, good for him, he went on a little PR campaign there from last week after what surfaced,” Bisping said of McGregor (via MMA News). “And he’s trying to apologize and he’s trying to hold his hand up, which is admirable. And he’s trying to get back in the game. But, yeah, it is what it is.”

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/27/2019.