Conor McGregor is being slammed as “disgraceful,” but it has nothing to do with his ring-side antics. The MMA fighter shared a post about his “iconic” collection of one-of-a-kind Gucci fur coats on Instagram, and animal rights activists aren’t thrilled.
McGregor posted a series of photos of himself on Instagram wearing the furs, one of which he says he paid “55 thousand U.S. Dollars” for at a Gucci store in New York City. The second, purchased from the same location, cost him $80,000. Both fur coats, made of mink, are originals. McGregor stores them “in a large freezer to maintain them.”
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He wore one to the UFC’s first legal fight in New York state and the other to “the highest grossing event, and biggest crossover fight in combat sports history.”
Gucci has “discontinued all animal skin clothing from their line,” McGregor noted in his Instagram post. While he’s not certain what will become of his own furs, which he likened to “art pieces,” he said he plans to leave them to his children to pass down to their own kids one day. McGregor is hopeful the value will increase, and he’s probably right.
Animal lovers flocked to the comments section of the self-proclaimed “Gucci mink pimp” to attack him for wearing fur.
“Should’ve left the fur on the animal Conor,” one person wrote. “plenty of money to buy a good faux fur!”
“Don’t use animal skin, that is out of date man,” another wrote.
“Wearing fur is horrific,” a third person chimed in.
“In years to come no one will wear real animal fur [because] no one should wear animal fur,” another person wrote in the comments section.
“Baffles me why you would brag about wearing a dead animal that had a desire to live,” someone else added.
Others bashed him for bragging, something he’s known for at this point.
“But remember when you got caught with the tags still on it,” one commenter wrote.
“All I read was, ‘look at this! Look at how much I spent! Look how rich I am!!!!!!’” another added.
McGregor is not stranger to controversy. He’s been slammed by fans for his behavior in the past, online and in real life. McGregor has also had his share of legal problems.
In March, the New York Times reported that the retired MMA fighter was under investigation for sexual assault. An unidentified woman came forward with claims that as far back as December 2018 she had been sexually assaulted by McGregor.
The alleged victim said the assault took place at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin, a location McGregor is known to frequent. The newspaper noted that the professional fighter was not charged with a crime, but was reportedly taken into police custody for questioning in January.
ESPN reported that McGregor’s spokesperson, Karen Kressler, issued a statement regarding the alleged assault.
“This story has been circulating for some time, and it’s unclear why it is being reported now,” she said.
“The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false. Should Conor fight in the future, it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport,” the statement continued.
McGregor announced his retirement the same day the allegations surfaced. He shared the news on Twitter.
“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today. I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!” he tweeted.
Fans initially believed the retirement announcement was a ploy, and he intended to return to the Octagon one day soon. So far, however, he hasn’t.