Conor McGregor to expand pub empire with locations abroad and in Dublin’s Temple Bar

The UFC superstar attended Katie Taylor’s big fight in Dublin’s 3 Arena with 21 pals last night, having flown in from Los Angeles by private jet with his family.

Earlier in the week he celebrated his son Rian’s second birthday with a party in LA and also took time out to show his three kids a mural of him next to O’Brien’s bar in Santa Monica.

He met with American MMA broadcaster Ariel Helwani at his Black Forge pub in Crumlin just hours before Taylor’s fight and revealed he plans to add more locations to the trio of Dublin pubs he already owns, which includes the Marble Arch in Drimnagh and the Waterside in Howth.

“There’s nowhere else on this level with the produce we have here,” he bragged about the Black Forge.

“This is not a restaurant, it’s a public house with restaurant quality to it; to be honest, above restaurant quality to it. The chef in there and the team are in line for a Michelin, we are excited about it.”

He confirmed he is expanding his empire.

“I have about five others in production phase, construction, building and renovation phases, Howth, another one close by to here (Marble Arch), I’ve a few others close to here, Temple Bar is also lined up,” he revealed.

“So they are in construction phase at present. They won’t be Black Forge Inn though; the name, I’m still in that process.

“But I wish to bring this for sure to the United States of America and all across the globe. OK, we have got the greatest stout, Forged Irish stout, the smoothest, the creamiest. We have got the greatest whiskey, the smoothest liquid gold on the land, on the planet, Proper No 12.

“But we have also got amazing produce in here and even the method of how we cook the produceThere’s nowhere else abroad.

“I was in America recently and I can’t get that anywhere, so I want to bring it away for sure, and that will be the Black Forge Inn abroad, well that’s the plan.”

Netflix recently released a four part documentary series on the fighter, McGregor Forever.

“I didn’t have creative control of it,” he stressed. “I’m the creator, so I wasn’t necessarily happy.

“I loved the story. I wouldn’t change it, but I would add my magic. And the fact that my adding of the magic was kind of torn away, when it was not supposed to be, I felt a bit led into it to be honest. But I’m happy how it went, it is how it is.”

Corkman Willy O’Sullivan, who owns O’Brien’s bar in Santa Monica, tells the Sunday World he had a call from McGregor during the week after he stopped by the mural while on a promotional trip to LA.

“Conor sent me a message, that was very nice,” said Willy.

​ He explained the mural was done by American artist Jonas Never, who got permission from Willy to paint the piece.

He admits he has mixed reaction to the mural next to his bar.

“When he first visited the mural and I posted it online every American who commented on it all loved it, but the only negative feedback has been from Ireland describing him as a thug or whatever,” he stressed.

“Some people in Ireland may not like him but over here he is universally loved.”