Ultimate fighting star Conor McGregor heads to a vehicle to leave Brooklyn Criminal Court, Friday, April 6, 2018 in New York. McGregor is facing criminal charges in the wake of a backstage melee he allegedly instigated that has forced the removal of three fights from 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 Thursday news conference for UFC 223 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
White said the 29-year-old McGregor said he was sorry about the fighters who were injured, but, “this had to be done.”
Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were both pulled from the fight because of injuries suffered on the bus from McGregor’s shenanigans.
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.
“Guys will say things, push, shove, grab each other. These things have happened,” White said. “People have slapped each other. We can deal with all of that stuff. But when you bring in twenty hoodlums that flew in from Ireland to basically do this at our event, there’s nothing like this that has ever happened.”
White had not talked to McGregor since the court appearance and said this was no publicity stunt.
Lobov was pulled from Saturday’s card for his involvement in the ugly act. McGregor’s friend and co-defendant Cian Cowley was released on $25,000 bond and also is due in court in June.
McGregor hasn’t fought for UFC since November 2016 and was stripped this week by White of the 155-pound championship he had never defended.
McGregor profanely responded on Twitter and wrote, “You’ll strip me of nothing.”
The brashness was muted as cameras snapped Friday when he was brought out of a New York City police station in handcuffs.
White said earlier this week in New York that McGregor would fight again for UFC this year. McGregor’s actions now put future fights in doubt. He could have had his pick of rich fights. A rematch against Mayweather inside the cage? A third fight against Nate Diaz? It all seemed possible — and it now seems a long way off.
UFC has not immediately issued discipline against its biggest box office attraction.
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 money fight with Mayweather that made him wealthy enough to never need to step inside the cage again.
The Mayweather bout last August was his last professional fight and McGregor and his girlfriend also had a son last year.
But not even fatherhood could mellow the irate Irishman.
He was ordered to stay away from five people injured in the attack.
McGregor’s lawyer, Jim Walden, said there was no risk that McGregor would try to avoid coming back to court: “He’s the most visible face on the planet.”
It’s one usually plastered on a UFC