Former UFC champion Conor McGregor turned himself into the police on Thursday evening after being accused of instigating a melee at a UFC press event in Brooklyn earlier in the day that injured two of the organization’s fighters and forced multiple fight cancellations.
Citing “law enforcement sources,” the New York Post reported that McGregor had turned himself in at the 78th Precinct “and will be charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.”
Earlier in the afternoon UFC President Dana White implied that McGregor’s career as an MMA fighter, at least in the sport’s most prestigious organization, is over.
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A video Thursday showed McGregor and a gang of supporters throwing large metal objects at a bus filled with the “red corner” UFC fighters on their way back to the hotel from media day for this weekend’s UFC 223 card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“There is a warrant out for Conor McGregor’s arrest … [the police] are looking for him,” White said in a video statement posted by multiple sports-news outlets Thursday afternoon.
A New York Police Department spokesman said the department believed McGregor to have thrown a hand truck at the bus.
Two fights were cancelled Thursday night because of injuries suffered by fighters inside the bus from the shattered glass. And a third fighter was kicked off the card because of his involvement with McGregor’s attacking gang.
Lightweight fighter Michael Chiesa suffered cuts to the head and was taken to a Brooklyn hospital. He had hoped to fight anyway Saturday, but the New York State Athletic Commission said no late Thursday evening.
Flyweight Ray Borg wasn’t cut but took a piece of glass in his eye. He was having difficulties both with his vision and opening the eye, according to Bloody Elbow, and his fight was yanked as well.
White also said there would be other legal action taken against the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion.
“He’s gonna be sued beyond belief. This was a real bad career move by him,” White said.
McGregor had been stripped of his UFC lightweight title earlier this week because of inactivity — he hadn’t been inside a UFC cage in almost a year and a half and had nothing on the horizon. He had spent much of this period preparing for up his mega-fight boxing match Floyd Mayweather and talking up other boxers.
This weekend’s main event was scheduled to have been a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and featherweight champion Max Holloway for the now-vacated lightweight title.
McGregor and his entourage showed up at a loading dock at the Barclays Center and stormed the bus, throwing railings and garbage cans and yelling obscene threats.
The entourage of about 20 people “broke one of the windows and cut Michael Chiesa really bad. He cut his head, cut his face,” White said.
Apart from the two injured fighters, a third man was kicked off the card.
Artem Lobov was reportedly in McGregor’s entourage and has been removed from the card accordingly, White said. There had been an altercation between Lobov and Nurmagomedov earlier in the week.
UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, set to defend her title Saturday, was reportedly also threatened and almost hit.
“She’s super upset right now and basically left and walked back to the hotel,” White said.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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