"I remember the handcuff" - Ariel Helwani draws parallel between Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson after former's assault verdict in civil case

Ariel Helwani has addressed the supposed similarities between Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson's respective legal battles against assault allegations. Helwani emphasized that while both combat sports megastars have similarly faced accusations of se*ual assault, their cases are different.

Boxing icon Tyson was accused of r*pe by Desiree Washington and convicted in that case back in 1992. 'Iron Mike' received a six-year prison sentence but was released early, in 1995, owing to good behavior. The ex-undisputed heavyweight champion boxer has time and again refuted the allegations.

Meanwhile, MMA icon Conor McGregor has been embroiled in a legal battle over the past few years. Dublin hairdresser Nikita Hand accused him and his friend James Lawrence of se*ually assaulting her. The alleged incident transpired in a penthouse suite at the Beacon Hotel on Dec. 9, 2018.

The case reportedly couldn't proceed in a criminal court due to insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, Dublin's civil court recently deemed McGregor liable for assault and handed him a fine of over $250k, which he's to pay in damages to Hand.

On The Ariel Helwani Show, veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has now recalled Mike Tyson's professional boxing comeback, which some deemed praiseworthy. The 58-year-old Tyson was outpointed by the 27-year-old YouTuber-cum-boxer Jake Paul in a heavyweight pro boxing match on Nov. 15, 2024.

Helwani highlighted the similar legal troubles Tyson and Conor McGregor have faced, in regard to se*ual assault and r*pe allegations. He further referenced the photographs and videos of Tyson in handcuffs from the 1990s and stated:

"It [Conor McGregor's civil case verdict] comes about seven days after Mike Tyson was fighting on Netflix, and celebrated, and has turned into 'Uncle Mike' and beloved. And he is someone who actually went to jail and was accused and convicted of r*pe. And look how far he has come in 30 years. Not to suggest the same thing is going to happen and that the two cases are exactly the same. They are not. But the timing is interesting, if nothing else."

"It is amazing as someone who grew up in the nineties and was well aware of Mike Tyson -- I remember when he was brought in. I remember the handcuff shot of him. I remember all of this stuff. It is amazing to see how far he's come in about 30 years. It's really incredible," he added.

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below:

Watch Ariel Helwani's assessment below (*comments at 12:00):

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Ariel Helwani on Conor McGregor continuing his legal battle

After the civil court case verdict earlier this month, Conor McGregor proclaimed his innocence on X. The former UFC two-division champion lent his support to James Lawrence. 'The Notorious' also tweeted that he'll appeal the verdict issued against himself.

In another tweet, Conor McGregor indicated that while he'll continue the legal battle to clear his name, he's refocusing on training. McGregor is expected to make his UFC comeback in late 2025.

Furthermore, Ariel Helwani implied that new developments in McGregor's case could come to the fore:

"With Conor, he is vowing to fight back. And I see that there is support for that, and people saying that he wasn't given a fair shot. So it continues to develop, and we continue to monitor it." [13:10-minute mark of Helwani's YouTube video]