If you thought the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) would shy away from Conor McGregor’s UFC 223 media day antics, think again.
This past Thursday, the UFC held a media session featuring fighters on tonight’s card. It was business as usual until the festivities wrapped up. McGregor, Artem Lobov, and their entourage entered the Barclays Center and bolted for a van holding red corner fighters. McGregor hurled a dolly, shattering one of the van’s windows and injuring Michael Chiesa.
Chiesa was scheduled to take on Anthony Pettis on the main card, but the glass cut him in the face. He was pulled from the card as a result. Ray Borg, who was near Chiesa in the van, had debris fly into his eyes. He too was removed from UFC 223. UFC president Dana White yanked Lobov from the card for his involvement in the chaos.
McGregor later turned himself in and was charged with one count of felony criminal mischief and three counts of misdemeanor assault. He was released on $50,000 bail. McGregor was also allowed to keep his passport and head back to Dublin.
The worse has yet to come for McGregor, however. Chiesa reportedly filed a police report against the “Notorious” one. McGregor cannot contact Chiesa or Borg under any circumstances or he’ll be arrested again. A date for his next court appearance has not been determined.
The UFC has the most clear footage of McGregor’s assault and they have made it the center of attention for their latest episode of UFC 223 Embedded. The footage even shows Chiesa bleeding from the forehead.