McGregor involved in backstage melee ahead of UFC 223
UFC star Conor McGregor turned himself into police Thursday 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.
Video footage appears to show the promotion’s most bankable star throwing a hand truck at a bus full of fighters after a press conference for UFC 223 at Barclays Center.
McGregor was being processed and no charges had been filed as of Thursday night.
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.