McGregor’s PR reps are busy at work today denying a claim from Sonnen that the Irish sports star is in rehab.
Conor McGregor’s representatives are firing back at Chael Sonnen today after the former UFC fighter and outspoken commentator claimed the Irish sports star was in rehab.
Sonnen made the claims on a recent episode of ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier, and insinuated rehab was part of the reason McGregor withdrew from UFC 303.
“What an incredible irony that both sides have these massive interests in alcohol and one side is in the middle of rehab for substance abuse including alcohol,” Sonnen said. “Not that that has anything to do with this. Did it just get hot in here? Oh it just got hot in here. Oh, the big guy just came out and said it, he wasn’t supposed to talk about that.”
Chael Sonnen claims Conor McGregor pulled out of his fight vs Michael Chandler because he’s in rehab. pic.twitter.com/WQXoLswK74
— InsideFighting (@InsideFighting_) June 18, 2024
“Two guys are pushing alcohol, totally unrelated story,” he continued. “And then another guy is in rehab for alcohol and other substances. I’m just saying, that’s a tough story to tell. Not for nothing, that gets to be a little bit tough. Have this proper drink, I’ll see you in a proper while, cuz I’m in a proper facility right now, watching me not have drinks.”
It’s a tough story to tell because Team McGregor says it’s not true. His PR representative Karen Kessler reached out to multiple major outlets denying Conor was in rehab.
“The fight was canceled after an injury he sustained during training,” Karen Kessler told TMZ. “He is looking forward to a new date.”
“Mr McGregor is with his family — and any other reports are incorrect,” she told the New York Post.
Kessler only reaches out to set the record straight on big damaging stories, and there’s usually the hint of a potential lawsuit if an outlet continues to tell tales without including the official McGregor denial statement. So where does that leave Chael Sonnen?
“I do not know that Conor [McGregor] is in rehab, for one,” he said in a new video addressing the controversy. “For two, I would not begrudge or tease Conor in the least if he was in rehab. I would be very proud of Conor, and I would imagine for somebody in his spot, to go into rehab is something you want to keep quiet. To do that in Ireland, I would imagine that he would have needed to humble himself greatly.
“So first off, I don’t know that he’s in rehab. Secondly, if he is in rehab, that would be awesome. That would be good stuff.”