The Notorious Conor McGregor recently completed the £2.5 million acquisition of the Marble Arch, the central Dublin pub that was the scene of his August 2019 assault on Desmond Keogh.

McGregor reportedly struck the 50-year-old after he refused to accept a shot of his branded Proper Twelve Irish whiskey.

The then apologetic and repentant former featherweight and lightweight champion of the world pleaded guilty to the assault in April 2019 and was ordered to pay a fine of £869 by the courts.

But reports have now emerged that one of McGregor's first acts as the new sole-proprietor of the Marble Arch was to bar Keogh from the pub.

In a recent interview conducted with the Irish Mirror, the victim of the assault Keogh spoke out about being banished from his local taproom of 14 years.

"I'm not really concerned because I probably wouldn't be going back to it now.

"I wouldn't be going back anyway, probably especially now. I wouldn't want to be spending money in his pub to be honest.

"I didn't really make much of it. It's no skin off my nose really. I've a lot of friends there. I probably drank there for about 14 years.

"The fact that he was in the wrong you know why blame me? It seems weird to me. It's disingenuous."

The Irish Mirror had previously reached out to a good friend of Keogh's, who explained how the assault came to pass, stating: "He (Keogh) was having his pint when McGregor came in and offered everyone a drink of his whiskey.

"Conor insisted he take it and when he refused a second time McGregor wasn't impressed.

"Next thing he punched him in the side of the face. He didn't feel the pain of it at the time but the next day he was in bits. It was a proper hard hit.

"His face was very sore. He was very shaken by the whole thing and didn't leave his house for days."

The assailant in the case McGregor had previously apologised for his actions during a sheepish interview with ESPN, stating: "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did.

"I tried to make amends and I made amends back then. But it doesn't matter. I was in the wrong. I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility."

"Whatever comes my way, I will face it. Whatever comes my way, I deserve it.

"People are trying to bait me into things. Am I the fish or am I the whale? I must be calm; I must be zen. I must lead by example.

"I will face this head on. I will not hide from it. I was in the wrong. It was completely unacceptable behaviour for a man in my position."

As with inside the Octagon, actions speak louder than words, however, and McGregor's decision to bar Keogh from the establishment would appear anything but 'zen' to a casual observer.

Here's hoping Keogh's pals join him for drinks at another bar in Dublin. There are meant to be just a couple of others dotted around the city centre after all...