The NYPD wants to question Conor McGregor about a bizarre incident at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday, April 5.
The Irishman and an entourage of 30 people showed up at UFC 223 media day as the fighters scheduled for the event were leaving in buses. They began tossing garbage cans and other items at the vehicles.
McGregor is seen on videotape throwing a dolly through a bus window. The incident left lightweight Michael Chiesa injured and also injured a UFC employee, UFC President Dana White told reporters.
Chiesa was taken to the hospital, treated for cuts and released. He still plans to fight Saturday.
The melee was allegedly sparked by a confrontation earlier this week between UFC 223 co-headliner Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor's teammate Artem Lobov.
A warrant for Conor's arrest has not yet been issued, but that could change if he doesn't turn himself in..
“Right now, we don’t have units out there searching for him or anything like that,” NYPD spokesperson Lt. Tarik Sheppard told MMAjunkie. “We’re just trying to make contact.”
When asked if the UFC planned to fire McGregor, White told TMZ Sports, "This is bigger than us firing him."
On Episode 2 of UFC 223 Embedded, former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk learns of the change to the main event on her way to New York and weighs whether it’s all an elaborate April Fools’ joke. In snowy Brooklyn, lightweight title contender Khabib Nurmagomedov continues training and doing media, grateful to have an opponent. Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas shows off her compost garden and dodges tennis balls in Colorado. Featherweight champion Max Holloway lands on the East Coast and promptly hits the gym, where he’s quickly surrounded by members of his opponent’s camp -- and Khabib himself. UFC 223 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two championship bouts at UFC 223: Khabib vs. Holloway on Saturday, April 7 on Pay-Per-View.
(AP) UFC star Conor McGregor has turned himself into police in the wake of a backstage melee he instigated that has forced the removal of three fights off UFC’s biggest card of the year.
McGregor has been charged with 2 counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of felony criminal mischief.
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.
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 did not 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.
(ESPN) A highly anticipated lightweight title fight between interim champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been canceled just six days before it was supposed to headline UFC 223 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Sunday that Ferguson (23-3) has withdrawn from the bout due to a torn knee ligament. In a Twitter post, Ferguson wrote that he suffered the injury in an accident on a studio set while fulfilling his prefight media obligations on Friday.
Featherweight champion Max Holloway (19-3) has agreed to take Ferguson's place and will face Nurmagomedov (25-0) for the lightweight title. The 155-pound bout will still headline UFC 223 on April 7.
"He's a stud," White said of Holloway accepting the bout on short notice. "The guy hasn't lost a fight since 2013, and that was a decision to Conor McGregor.
"He's the type of guy that steps up for opportunities like this. And when you think about it, if he wins this fight, other than Conor McGregor, he will be the only guy to hold two belts at the same time."
As of today, McGregor (21-3) remains the UFC's official lightweight champion, but he is expected to lose that title as soon as Nurmagomedov and Holloway square off. McGregor became a two-weight champion in late 2016 but has not fought in the UFC since.
White said the promotion did not reach out to McGregor as a potential replacement for Ferguson. McGregor expressed interest last month in returning on short notice against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, but the promotion doesn't want to bring its top star back under those circumstances.
"I don't think Conor McGregor could make the weight on six days' notice. That's a tough weight cut for him," White said. "And Conor is not the guy I want to throw in as a late replacement fighter. He's a guy I want to make a fight with and have the right amount of time to promote the fight.
"I think Conor could return in September, and it could be against one of these guys."
Per White, Ferguson is expected to lose his interim title, which he won by defeating Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in October.
"That goes away," White said. "This fight is for the title. The winner of this fight will be the champion."
Nurmagomedov, of Dagestan, is on a nine-fight winning streak at lightweight, while Holloway, of Hawaii, has won 12 in a row in the UFC's featherweight division.
Nurmagomedov has opened as a minus-505 betting favorite against Holloway (plus-365), according to MMAOddsBreaker.com.
The UFC has tried to pair Ferguson and Nurmagomedov on four occasions, all of which have fallen through for various reasons. When asked if he would be willing to book the fight a fifth time, White responded, "Hell no."
Episode 1 of UFC 223 Embedded, former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk pushes herself with the goal of reclaiming her belt, and defending champion Rose Namajunas readies for the rematch. Title contender Khabib Nurmagomedov arrives in New York City for his long-awaited championship fight against Tony Ferguson. Jedrzejczyk enjoys a going-away breakfast with her camp, and Nurmagomedov brings his team to Renzo Gracie's Brooklyn facility. Fight week kicks off with a shocking announcement from UFC President Dana White, and Nurmagomedov reacts to the news that his opponent will be featherweight champion Max Holloway. UFC 223 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two championship bouts at UFC 223: Ferguson vs. Khabib on Saturday, April 7 on Pay-Per-View.
On Episode 3 of UFC 223 Embedded, a well-rested Joanna Jedrzejczyk trains to challenge for the strawweight belt she long held. Lightweight title contender Khabib Nurmagomedov travels with his team en masse to a nearby gym. His fellow headliner, featherweight champion Max Holloway, readies to stick to his game plan regardless of opponent. UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa enjoys being on his family’s home turf. Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas arrives in Brooklyn, as does Chiesa’s opponent, former champion Anthony Pettis. UFC 223 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two championship bouts at UFC 223: Khabib vs. Holloway on Saturday, April 7 on Pay-Per-View.
Former strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk gets an immediate rematch against titleholder Rose Namajunas. Go inside their lives and gyms as they ready for UFC 223.
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