Conor McGregor charged with three counts of assault and criminal mischief after altercation at UFC 223

McGregor is due to see a judge at 12pm BST after turning himself in to police

Jack Austin
Friday 06 April 2018 05:14 EDT
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Conor McGregor appears to attack a coach carrying UFC fighters at the Barclays Centre in New York

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Conor McGregor has been charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief following a violent altercation at UFC 223’s media day in New York.

A warrant was out for the Irishman’s following the incident where he and a group of men are alleged to have vandalised a bus containing rival fighters before he handed himself in to police at 9pm local time on Thursday.

“McGregor has been charged with three counts of assault and one of criminal mischief,” said a NYPD spokesperson.

He is due to appear in front of a judge at 7am (12pm BST) according to New York Police.

The former two-weight champion, who was stripped of his lightweight championship title this week, gatecrashed a media event ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 223 where he was filmed picking up railing before attempting to throw it at the coach.

The vehicle was carrying Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor’s long-term rival, and other UFC fighters back to their hotel after a media day at the Barclays Centre. Lightweight Michael Chiesa allegedly suffered a cut to his forehead during the fracas as attempts were made to restrain McGregor.

Chiesa’s coach Rick Little told MMA Junkie: “Conor went bananas and put a beating on the van that we were in looking for Khabib. A million security guards had to restrain him. Mike’s cut up now. He’s got marks on him, for sure. I don’t think it’s too serious. Everything happened so fast, it was just like we were jumped.”

In the wake of the incident UFC president Dana White said that a warrant for McGregor’s arrest had subsequently been issued.

“What happened today was criminal, disgusting and makes me sick,” he said in the immediate aftermath. “There is a warrant out for McGregor’s arrest. They’re looking for him right now and his plane is grounded. I assume if they don’t catch him he will turn himself in. He’s going to be sued beyond belief and this is a very bad career move for him.”

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