Conor McGregor storms UFC press event, smashes window and injures fighter
In a scene that seemed ripped straight from the WWE and not UFC, mixed martial arts megastar Conor McGregor has found himself at the center of a backstage scuffle — and it could cost him significantly.
McGregor, 29, crashed a UFC media event that he wasn’t technically invited to and wreaked havoc. According to UFC president Dana White, McGregor was not scheduled to be at the UFC event but was let in by a media group that runs his personal website, per MMAJunkie. The group allegedly gave McGregor media credentials, and chaos ensued.
And it wasn’t the typical Conor McGregor “havoc” that involves a lot of trash talking and overturned tables and chairs.
Rather, it was the type of havoc that left people and property damaged. It’s also the type of havoc that will likely lead to legal action and police intervention.
In the first chaotic video that surfaced via TMZ Sports, you can see what appears to be general rioting.
A different angle clearly shows that it was McGregor who grabbed a hand truck and launched it at the side of the video.
White, understandably, was furious with his McGregor. Not only is there the property damage to consider, but McGregor allegedly injured several fighters aboard the bus. Michael Chiesa was reportedly cut up from the flying glass, Rose Namajunas almost broke her hand, and an unnamed UFC employee broke his knuckle.
“They stormed the building,” White said about the incident. “Got down to the loading docks where the fighters were getting on the buses and started to attack the buses, throwing trash cans and dollies and things like that.”
It’s still unclear what exactly sparked the melee.
Some are speculating that it’s because McGregor was officially stripped of his UFC lightweight title, while others think that the fracas may have started because UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov got into a heated altercation with McGregor’s friend and fighting teammate Artem Lobov on Tuesday. Nurmagomedov was one of the fighters on the bus McGregor attacked.
Whatever the reason, the outlook doesn’t look great for McGregor, who, in fairness, has transcended the sport of MMA.
There are conflicting reports out there, with White claiming that there is an arrest warrant out for McGregor, while other outlets could only confirm that police are investigating the matter.
It’s certainly a tricky situation for White. On the one hand, McGregor is without question UFC’s most recognizable star and box office magnet. On the other hand, McGregor clearly crossed all sorts of lines here.
White also just lost his other well-known star when Ronda Rousey joined the WWE earlier in the year. While White may get Brock Lesnar back, the former UFC heavyweight champion is 40 years old and still has to serve part of a suspension stemming from a failed drug test in his last fight.
So will White fire McGregor, despite him being the only UFC megastar still in his physical prime?
“This is bigger than us firing him,” White told TMZ. He went further when describing the incident, calling it “the most disgusting thing that has ever happened” in UFC history and saying McGregor will “be sued beyond belief.”
It’s not looking good for the Notorious one.
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