MMA superstar Conor McGregor charged with assault after chaos caught on video
MMA star Conor McGregor turned himself in to police in the wake of a backstage melee he instigated that forced the removal of three fights from the UFC's biggest card of the year.
CBS New York reports that a video posted on Instagram shows a man holding a metal barricade charging toward a bus full of fighters. A second video shows the bus starting to drive away, but a crowd follows and one person flings a metal cart into the window.
That person appears to have been the UFC's most bankable star.
"It's disgusting, and I don't think anybody is going to be huge Conor McGregor fans after this," CBS New York quotes UFC President Dana White as saying on ESPN.
White said the notorious MMA fighter stormed the loading dock at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his entourage after a press event for UFC 223, as fellow fighters were boarding buses.
McGregor was charged with assault and criminal mischief, as was a second man, Cian Cowley.
Video showed McGregor with a group of people causing chaos Thursday as they took an elevator to the loading dock at Barclays Center. He can be seen tossing trash cans and being prevented from throwing a barricade at a bus during his unannounced appearance in New York.
Some video was posted on social media:
The New York Police Department said McGregor threw a hand truck at a bus, causing minor injury to an individual on the bus. UFC said three fights on Saturday's UFC 223 card have been scrapped as a result of the incident.
"The organization deems today's disruption completely unacceptable and is currently working on the consequences that will follow," UFC said in a statement. "Individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow's ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday's event at Barclays Center."
McGregor hasn't fought for UFC since November 2016 and was stripped this week by UFC President Dana White of the 155-pound championship he had never defended. White also said this week he didn't expect McGregor to attend Saturday's fights.
He sure made his presence felt in Brooklyn.
McGregor profanely responded on Twitter and wrote, "You'll strip me of nothing." He was just getting started.
McGregor last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26, 2017.
The popular Irishman is tight with UFC 223 fighter Artem Lobov, who was involved this week in a scuffle in a hotel with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov fights Max Holloway for the lightweight championship left vacant by McGregor.
Lobov was yanked from the card and banned from the building.
Michael Chiesa was sent to the hospital with injuries sustained in the attack and was forced out of his scheduled fight against Anthony Pettis.
"A decision was made by the New York State Athletic Commission to pull me from UFC 223," Chiesa tweeted. "I'm devastated to say the least. showtimepettis I hope to run this match up ASAP. June 9th in your backyard. That's all I have to say for now. Much love."
Flyweight Ray Borg suffered multiple cornea abrasions in the wake of the McGregor attack and his fight against Brandon Moreno was also scratched
White said this week in New York that McGregor would fight again for UFC this year. McGregor's actions now put any future fights very much in doubt.
The 29-year-old McGregor once held the 145 and 155-pound championships at the same time and boldly stated he wanted an ownership stake in UFC. But the trash-talking, egocentric has been out of the fight game except for his boxing dalliance with Mayweather that made him wealthy enough to never have to fight again. McGregor and his girlfriend welcomed their first child, a son, in May 2017.
