Firas Zahabi labels Conor McGregor a 'pathetic, sorry excuse for a human being' after alleged bar punch

Firas Zahabi had harsh words for Conor McGregor after a video of him striking what appears to be an elderly man in a bar this past April.

Firas Zahabi had some harsh words for Conor McGregor after a video surfaced of him striking what appears to be an elderly man in a bar in April.

Zahabi, the noted coach for Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald and many others at Tristar Gym in Montreal, thinks McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) put himself and the sport of MMA in a negative light with his actions.

According to reports, the bar patron refused a shot of McGregor’s Proper No. 12 whiskey, prompting the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion to land a punch with the left hand. It’s unknown exactly what was said, but in Zahabi’s mind, that shouldn’t matter.

“I don’t care what anybody says,” Zahabi said on his YouTube podcast. “It is indefensible. There is no defense to this, except this guy is a pathetic, sorry excuse for a human being.

“What a disgusting display. I don’t care how much money you have, I don’t care how famous you are in the world. If this is the type of person you are, your value is zero. Your value is zero.”

McGregor’s mishap was the latest in a lengthy list of outside-the-cage indiscretions “The Notorious” has made in recent years. Zahabi has criticized the Dublin, Ireland native in the past, but he remains passionate about how the image of arguably the most famous fighter in MMA history hitting a defenseless person in a bar will impact how outsides perceive athletes in the sport.

“This is an embarrassment to MMA,” Zahabi said. “This is an embarrassment to us all. When the media or people from other sports say, ‘Oh, MMA people are animals. They’re savage, they’re violent, they’re the barbarians of sports.’ It’s going to be harder for us to defend.”

Although McGregor has since admitted he was “in the wrong,” Zahabi can’t excuse the actions.

“I’m sure 99 percent of all Irish people who saw that are disgusted,” Zahabi said. “99 percent sure his coaching staff are disgusted. Everybody’s disgusted at this thing. He probably thought nobody was filming. We know that when nobody’s looking, McGregor will do the most disgusting acts. Those are his true colors.

“It’s just purely disgusting. I could not be more disappointed.”