Fight star charged over UFC rampage

ULTIMATE Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor has been charged with three counts of assault and one of criminal mischief in the wake of a backstage melee he instigated after a news conference for one of UFC’s biggest cards of the year.

Video showed the promotion’s most bankable star with a group of people causing chaos as they took an elevator to the loading dock at the Barclays Centre in New York.

The popular Irishman could be seen tossing rubbish cans and being prevented from throwing a barricade at a bus during his unannounced appearance in New York.

Police said McGregor threw a hand truck at a bus, causing minor injury to an individual.

At least two fights at tonight’s UFC 223 card had been scrapped as a result of the incident.

“The organisation 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 Centre.”

McGregor had not fought for UFC since November 2016 and this week was stripped of the 155-pound championship he had never defended.

McGregor profanely responded on Twitter and wrote: “You’ll strip me of nothing.”

He last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas in August.

UFC president Dana White this week said that McGregor would fight again for UFC this year. McGregor’s actions now put any future fights in doubt.

The 29-year-old once held the 145 and 155-pound UFC championships at the same time and boldly stated he wanted an ownership stake in UFC. But the trash-talking, egocentric had been out of the fight game except for his bout with Mayweather, which made him wealthy enough to never have to fight again.