Several competitors were injured when McGregor threw a dolly and a police barricade at a bus in Brooklyn, N.Y., where UFC223 is being held.
MMA fighter Conor McGregor was led out of a Brooklyn police precinct in handcuffs Friday after he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of felony criminal mischief when he allegedly attacked a bus the night before.
McGregor, 29, was caught on camera Thursday evening as he chucked a dolly through the window of a bus that was parked in the loading dock of the Barclays Center.
The attack was a purported act of retaliation to an incident earlier in the week.
The incident happened at a UFC media event and the bus was carrying athletes set to fight at the arena Saturday night. The windows of the bus were busted and sent shards of glass at the passengers. Several had to be treated for cuts.
Two fighters suffered injuries as a result of the incident, including Michael Chiesa who was hospitalized due to a facial laceration. He was scheduled to fight Saturday night against Anthony Pettis, but has since been deemed unfit to take part in the event by the New York State Athletic Commission and the UFC medical team.
“These buses are full of a ton of fighters and their cornermen,” UFC CEO Dana White told "First Things First" Friday morning. “And they’re just throwing things into the windows not caring who they hit. They hit Mike Chiesa. Mike Chiesa has nothing to do with this. Many of the fighters and cornermen have nothing to do with this situation."
Another fighter, Ray Borg, was also scheduled to be in the ring, but was also deemed unfit to fight after suffering corneal abrasions.
McGregor reportedly appeared at the event unexpectedly and was surrounded by his massive entourage.
White also told ESPN Friday that he believes the Irish fighter appeared at the event as retaliation due to an incident earlier in the week involving fighter Khabib Nurmagomedo and McGregor's teammate Artem Lobov. Nurmagomedo confronted Lobov in a hotel Tuesday and allegedly slapped him according to reports.
"Normally, yes, I would dive right in and do everything in my power to help one of my guys. But not in this situation,” White said. “He came into the Barclays Center, attacked our fighters and attacked my staff with a bunch of guys. No, you don't get my help on this one."
White later told ESPN that he had spoken to McGregor after the incident via text messages. He said McGregor was "apologetic about the people he wasn't trying to hurt. But he felt the Khabib thing had to be done."
McGregor, known for his flamboyant style and trash-talking ways, turned himself in to police Thursday night. He is reportedly cooperating with police.
McGregor last fought famed boxer Floyd Mayweather in a much-hyped boxing bout in August. It was the Irish fighter’s first attempt at boxing and he lost. He reportedly made $100 million from the match despite the loss.
The mix martial arts fighter’s last UFC bout came in November 2016 and was the company’s first match to ever be held inside Madison Square Garden. McGregor won by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in the second round.
A Brooklyn judge set McGregor's bail at $50,000 Friday afternoon. Authorities will not be seizing his passport and he will be allowed to travel back to Ireland upon his release. No court date has been set.
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