12:42 PM PT -- 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."

We should note the statement does not directly address the sexual allegations described in The NY Times report.

Conor McGregor was arrested in January as part of a sexual assault investigation stemming from an alleged incident in December at a hotel in Dublin, Ireland ... this according to The NY Times.

McGregor was released from custody and has NOT been charged with a crime, according to the report. However, The NY Times says officials are still investigating the case.

Local media in Ireland have been covering the situation for months but without naming McGregor as the suspect because of laws that prevent news outlets from naming rape suspects unless they have been convicted.

The accuser is a woman in her 20s who claims she had been hanging with friends in South Dublin before ending up at the Beacon Hotel on Dec. 10.

After the alleged sexual assault, the woman went to police and filed a report -- and was then taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, according to local reports.

Unclear if a rape kit was administered but it seems to be the standard operating procedure for women who are treated in this particular unit.

According to local reports, cops tried to obtain surveillance footage to see if they could place McGregor at the hotel at the time of the alleged incident.

When approached by the media back in December, a police spokesperson said, "[Cops] are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a female which occurred in Dublin 2 in the early hours of this morning, Monday December 10th 2018."

"No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing."

So far, McGregor has not commented on the allegations.

30-year-old Conor McGregor is no stranger to the law -- he was convicted of throwing a steel dolly at a UFC bus last year.

He was also in an Irish court last year over a 2017 speeding incident.