UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregore addressed his usage of a homophobic slur during a taped appearance for The Late Late Show, which airs on RTE Sports.
A segment of the interview has been released, as McGregor says he “meant no disrespect” when using a slur during a backstage talk with teammate Artem Lobov after Lobov lost a decision to Andre Fili.
“I witnessed him lose a fight in a potential career-defining or career-ending fight in a manner where the opponent was stalling and running away, and I was upset,” McGregor said. “I was whispering in his ear and I was speaking on that, and I said what I said.
“I meant no disrespect to nobody, to anybody in the LGBT community.”
McGregor talked about how efforts to help legalize gay marriage in his home country of Ireland.
“I was campaigning for that. It’s another one of those things that just get blown out,” he said. “Any chance they get, they love to throw me under the bus. I just have to say sorry and try to move on.”
