Conor McGregor's spokesperson Karen Kessler has issued a statement ... referring to the NY Times report about the UFC star's arrest as a "rumor."
"This story has been circulating for some time and it is unclear why it is being reported now," Kessler said in a statement first published by ESPN.
Kessler also addresses people trying to connect Conor's retirement tweet to the report about his arrest.
"The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false."
And then she added a shot at the UFC ...
"Should Conor fight in the future it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport.