Conor McGregor’s sister Aoife McGregor is dating Graham ‘the Wig’ Whelan, according to Irish tabloid Sunday World. That outlet claims Whelan is a ‘gangster’ involved with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group. This isn’t the first time Whelan’s name has been brought up with McGregor’s. It was reported in 2017 that McGregor punched Whelan’s father in a Dublin pub dust-up.
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Sunday World claims that Aoife McGregor and Whelan went public in their relationship back in February, after she posted a picture of them inside McGregor’s Black Forge Inn. That snap was reportedly taken days after Whelan was released from Mountjoy prison in January.
Whelan had reportedly served a year stint in Mountjoy after pleading guilty to money laundering offences and possessing cash and a watch that were determined to be proceeds of a crime.
Conor McGregor is reportedly friends with Graham Whelan
Graham Whelan is also reported to be a friend of Conor McGregor and has appeared for McGregor’s Black Forge football team.
Their reported friendship comes despite reports from 2017 that he struck Whelan’s dad during a confrontation at the Black Forge Inn, prior to McGregor purchasing the establishment. Back then this incident was seized upon by Floyd Mayweather Jr. who said McGregor needed to be careful after his alleged run-in involving Whelan.
This tweet prompted a rare response from alleged Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan, who wrote (on his private twitter account) that Mayweather “should not believe all you read in the paper.”
Daniel Kinahan is on the run
Kinahan is currently wanted by the U.S. government, who claim he runs the day-to-day operations of one of the world’s largest narcotic smuggling operations. Kinahan is also accused of involvement in over a dozen gangland murders connected to the Hutch-Kinahan feud.
The most notorious incident to happen during that feud was the Regency Hotel Shooting in 2016. That attack, which saw masked gunmen storm and open fire onto a boxing weigh-in show, resulted in the death of David Byrne. It is believed that Kinahan was the target of the attack, as retribution for a botched hit on alleged Hutch Gang leader Gerry Hutch a month prior.
After the Regency Hotel attack Kinahan fled to Dubai. From the Middle East Kinahan sought to sportswash his image through combat sports, maintaining a close relationship with Tyson Fury, Darren Till and other fighters who were signed to MTK Global (the powerhouse promotion company he founded).
McGregor has been pictured with other alleged Kinahan members
Conor McGregor has been seen and pictured with a number of characters Irish press connect with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.
David Byrne, who died during the Regency Hotel Attack, took an infamous selfie with McGregor at a UFC event. Irish press names Byrne as a former top lieutenant in the Kinahan organization. Byrne also used to train at the same Crumlin boxing club McGregor attended as a youth.
McGregor has also been pictured with Lee Byrne, David Byrne’s nephew and the son of Liam Byrne (who is accused of being a high up member of the KOCG).
McGregor has also been pictured, frequently, with Andrew Murray and Jonathan Murray. Irish press have called those siblings “gangster brothers” and reported that they have over 50 criminal convictions between them.
Conor McGregor has never been accused of, or arrested for, any kind of involvement in organized crime.
McGregor expected to return to action this year
Conor McGregor last appeared in the UFC in 2021. That year he fought twice with Dustin Poirier, losing each time by TKO. In the second of those bouts McGregor suffered a broken leg. He sat out all of 2022 to recover and rehab from that injury.
McGregor is currently taping The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler. He is expected to fight Chandler later this year.
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