Newcastle United fans were left rather puzzled on Saturday lunchtime as word spread throughout St James’ Park that Conor McGregor was in attendance for their Premier League game against Arsenal – but why was the Irishman there? Well, it turns out, the UFC sensation was in the city ahead of his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event and simply took the opportunity to catch the game.
Although McGregor had previously claimed to support Manchester United before dropping his football club alliance to focus on MMA, he attended St James’ Park to watch the Arsenal game, and after the Magpies’ 1-0 victory over the Gunners on Saturday, the club didn’t miss the chance to have a bit of fun at the fighter’s expense on their Instagram.
They posted photos of McGregor showing his reaction before and after watching Arsenal’s defeat, with the caption: “How it started vs how it’s going…
Hope you enjoyed your trip to St. James’ Park, @thenotoriousmma 😘”
The club then followed up with a comment, “On this post, we’d like to take this chance to apologise… to absolutely nobody”, quoting McGregor’s iconic post-fight interview after making history as the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champion.
Newcastle Enjoy Brilliant Week
Eddie Howe’s men have beaten Chelsea in the cup & Arsenal in the league
In a tough week with back-to-back fixtures against Arsenal and Chelsea, Newcastle rose to the occasion. After a shaky start to the season, Eddie Howe has rallied the squad to get back on course. His side have now climbed to ninth in the Premier League, just three points off the top four, where Arsenal hold fourth place on 18 points. Goals have been a concern for Newcastle so far this season, but Alexander Isak seems to be finding his form once again, scoring his fourth goal of the season with a brilliantly taken header in the 12th minute of the game.
Conor McGregor Causes Controversy at the Emirates
The UFC star was at Arsenal 2-0 PSG earlier in the season
McGregor’s attendance at St James’ Park on Saturday comes weeks after he stirred up controversy at the Emirates when he went to watch the Gunners defeat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League. After the game, the UFC fighter made his way onto the pitch and was seen play-fighting with Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, with a video showing the winger looking less than comfortable.
The England international took to his Instagram story afterward, however, to try to calm the controversy, posting a photo with the 36-year-old saying: “Good to meet you @thenortiousmma No harm done just a friendly spar.”
While the Arsenal star seems to bear no ill will towards McGregor, the club certainly did not find what happened funny. The Sunday Times reported that the incident has been the subject of an internal club inquiry into how the high-profile UFC fighter was able to get on the pitch and practice his moves on one of Arsenal’s most valuable players.