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Bukayo Saka breaks silence on Conor McGregor sparring with him on the Emirates Stadium pitch
Home>Football>Football News>Arsenal
Published 11:20 9 Oct 2024 GMT+1

Bukayo Saka breaks silence on Conor McGregor sparring with him on the Emirates Stadium pitch

Conor McGregor was on the pitch with Bukayo Saka after Arsenal's Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

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Bukayo Saka has broken his silence after Conor McGregor was accused of "taking it too far" with him on the Emirates Stadium pitch.

UFC star McGregor was in attendance for Arsenal's 2-0 Champions League victory on 1 October and saw Saka bag the second.

The Irishman then ended up on the pitch having a kickabout with both Saka and Declan Rice, with footage being widely shared on his social media.

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In one video, McGregor can be seen sparring with England star Saka, engage in a playing-fight but catching him with a kick to the back of his leg and then his stomach.

Saka, understandably, looked a little afraid of the two-weight UFC champion and told him to "be careful".

He then faked grappling him and taking him down before shaking his hand.

Some expressed concern for Saka, but he was stressed that his link-up with McGregor was in good spirits.

Image: Instagram/@bukayosaka87
Image: Instagram/@bukayosaka87

Taking to his Instagram story, Saka attached a picture of the pair - with the caption: "Good to meet you @thenotoriousmma. No harm done just a friendly spar."

McGregor was not a guest of Arsenal's and according to The Times, he did not have permission to enter the pitch.

He was asked to go back inside the stadium and there was concern expressed as to how McGregor came to be practicing MMA moves on one of their key players.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

A report said Arsenal launched an internal enquiry into the matter and found that McGregor and his entourage got last-minute hospitality tickets through 1 Access - a company with a box to host stars at the Emirates.

The box is situated near an area where players often congregate afterwards and it was there that McGregor came to be in the company of Arsenal players.

Arsenal are considering their matchday protocols and also keen to distance themselves from McGregor given previous controversies.

Featured Image Credit: Getty & Conor McGregor

Topics: Conor McGregor, Bukayo Saka, Arsenal, UFC

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

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@joshlawless_

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