Inside Conor McGregor’s relationship along with his dad who snatched cellphone from son in courtroom

While some members of his family came and went at different times, it was Conor McGregor’s father who remained by his side throughout the 12-day civil rape case and below we look inside their relationship

When Conor McGregor doubled over and shook his head after a jury ruled he assaulted a woman in a civil court rape case, it was his mum and fiancée who held him tight.

It was the day of judgement and UFC fighter McGregor, 36, arrived at the High Court with his loyal inner circle from trusted lover to ‘muddy’ fury coach.

But while the women and martial arts associates were present for the final day, the one man who was there alongside McGregor during every minute of the proceedings was his father, Tony.

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At one point, he had to admonish his son after snatching his phone away, but more on that later. Below, we look inside the relationship between the two.

Who is Tony McGregor?

In 1998, Tony and Margaret McGregor, who have been together since they were 16, welcomed their only son, Conor, into the world.

Remembering the moment, Tony said: “His fists were clenched coming out of the womb, so he was ready to fight. The midwife said, ‘This fella is going to be a boxer’.”

Tony himself is actually from Liverpool and his own father was an officer in the British Navy and he travelled to Ireland after his family life fell apart when his mother cheated on his dad.

He eventually found work in a factory where he met Margaret before becoming a cab driver for 26 years. He later got into social work.

Tony and Margaret are also parents to two daughters, Aoife and Erin.

During McGregor’s childhood, it was his dad who took him to football training but despite the words from the midwife all those years before, he had doubts about his son being a professional MMA fighter.

Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “He got it right. It’s not often that a father would admit that, but my son was right and I was wrong. I knew then, he had a career.”

Both McGregor’s parents were sceptical about his ambitions and he himself recalled: “They said, ‘Who else has done it?’ There was no one before me.

“I remember saying, ‘At 25 years of age I will be a self-made millionaire’. My father laughed at me. I was a year late, but I did it.”

McGregor, under the stewardship of coach John Kavanah, landed world titles in Cage Warriors before later being signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

After beating Diego Brandao in his hometown of Dublin in his UFC debut, he famously said: “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over.”

He later became the UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion and his father enjoyed the ride with him along the way.

And earlier this year, when Tony suffered a heart attack, McGregor wrote a supportive message on social media saying: “We are McGregors we live forever.”

Tony himself wrote: “Heart attack in the morning, stent in the afternoon, sweet and sour in the evening, see ya later suckers.”

Downfall of McGregor

Tony was there throughout all the highs before McGregor’s reputation and career became tarnished.

But during his son’s recent struggles, he has stayed close by, especially during the civil rape case.

McGregor was ordered to pay Nikita Hand more than £200,000 in damages after she accused him of choking and raping her in a hotel in December 2018. In now deleted social media posts, McGregor, who denied the allegations, labelled her a “vicious liar” and said the damages were “modest”.

Interestingly, these words, presumably sent from his phone, may lead to contempt of court trouble.

And it was this phone that Tony snatched away one morning during his son’s 12-day civil case in Dublin’s High Court.

As reported by Mark Tighe who wrote in the Sunday World: “One morning, he opened a video that emitted a loud noise. This prompted his father to snatch the phone from him with a quick admonishment before turning the device off and placing it safely in his own pocket.

“Each morning after that, McGregor would give his father his phone before the jury took their seats. It appeared he did not want them to catch him looking distracted.”

And when it was all said and done, and McGregor’s name was tarnished after losing the disturbing case, it was his father who continued to protect him.

After being swarmed by the media outside court, a visibly shaken McGregor and his partner Dee Devlin tried to reach their Rolls-Royce. And helping them on the way was Tony who physically shielded the pair before they finally got inside safely.

But in the last few hours, McGregor has been causing controversies on his phone once again.

In odd social media posts, he wrote: “Who gives a f*** about the fake press.”

Inspired by Donald Trump, he added: “fight, fight, fight.”