UFC star Conor McGregor banned from driving for speeding
The 30-year-old was also fined 1,000 euro (£886).
Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been disqualified from driving for six months after he was caught travelling at around one-and-a-half times the speed limit.
The former world champion mixed martial artist, 30, was also fined 1,000 euro (£886).
His light blue Range Rover was recorded by Irish police travelling at 154kph (96mph) in a 100kph (62mph) zone near Dublin last year.
It was the latest in around a dozen road offences ranging from parking illegally to breaking the speed limit and stretching back a decade, Irish police told the court.
Judge Desmond Zaidan said: “The speed here is in the higher end. Speed kills and that is what makes speeding dangerous.
“When speeding goes wrong the consequences are catastrophic and life-changing, there is no question about that.
“Sadly we have lost more lives on our roads because of excessive speeding, dangerous speeds and other bad behaviour.”
McGregor lost a comeback UFC fight in October. That followed one of the most lucrative boxing bouts in history, against former world champion Floyd Mayweather, when he was also defeated.
He is being sued over an unrelated violent incident at a New York arena, accused of causing an American mixed martial artist physical and psychological harm when he hurled a metal dolly at the window of a bus.
After other charges were dropped on Wednesday, McGregor pleaded guilty to one count of exceeding the limit on the main N7 road south west of Dublin at Blackchurch, Kill, Co Kildare, in October last year.
Garda Sergeant Michael Keevans told the court McGregor was polite when stopped and apologised at the roadside.
McGregor wore a grey suit and stood in the body of the courtroom before addressing the judge directly on the excessive speed offence.
He said: “I apologise, I did not know I was going that fast.”
The judge asked McGregor, whose address was given as Laraghcon, Lucan, why he did not pay the penalty notice instead of going to court.
He responded: “I passed it on to be paid and it must not have been done. It should have been paid.”
His lawyer Tim Kennelly said McGregor took the matter extremely seriously.
Judge Zaidan said the defendant was fortunate he was not prosecuted for a more serious offence like dangerous or careless driving.
He said eight out of 10 motorists caught driving over 150kph in the district were charged with those offences.
The court heard details of around 12 previous traffic offences, leaving the judge “taken aback”.
Around a year ago he was fined 400 euro (£354) for driving at 158kph (98mph) on a road near Dublin, police said.
Other previous convictions included breaking a red light, driving while using a mobile phone, entering a bus lane, driving unaccompanied with only a provisional licence and parking on double yellow lines.
McGregor waded out to his vehicle through a scrum of supporters, curious onlookers and the media.
He acknowledged he has to slow down in future and said he has “gotta drive safer”.
