UFC superstar Conor McGregor is reportedly being hunted by Irish mafia after a pub brawl in Dublin.
McGregor is alleged to have assaulted a relative of gang member Graham 'The Wig' Whelan who's a senior leader of the infamous Kinahan drugs cartel, one of the biggest importers of cocaine in Ireland, according to The Independent's Paul Williams.
It's believed the UFC lightweight champion took exception to an assault by one of the Kinahans of a young man from his native Crumlin, a rough South Dublin neighbourhood renowned as a hotbed of gang activity.
The mobsters are now demanding €900,000 ($NZ1.54million) from the 29-year-old in protection money under the threat of murder.
"Conor McGregor is potentially in very, very serious danger, I hear that from my sources and from looking at the lay of the land," said Williams.
"He has ended up crossing swords- accidentally or however - with some very, very heavy people, or some people who are related to some very, very heavy people who could pose a very serious threat to his safety, and potentially his life. And I don't say that lightly.
"And these people don’t have parameters, they don’t have boundaries, they don’t discriminate between whether you’re an international sporting icon or just a man on the street. They shoot you, they injure you, they do whatever they want to do."
The Kinahans are currently embroiled in feuds with two separate rival gangs which have so far claimed a total of 27 lives.
McGregor grew up on the same streets as the majority of the gang and would be familiar with many of them from his school days.
The brash Irishman has been no stranger to controversy outside of the Octagon. He was recently forced to offer apologies for both a homophobic slur against fellow fighter Andre Fili, then to referee Marc Goddard for his involvement in a post-fight melee after leaping into the cage at a Bellator event.
His most recent bout against former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned him an estimated purse of $US100 million ($NZ145m).
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