Conor McGregor in police custody after violent altercation at UFC 223 press day
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
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Your support makes all the difference.Conor McGregor has handed himself into police in Brooklyn after the Irishman appeared to attack a coach carrying numerous UFC fighters at the Barclays Centre in New York.
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.
"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."
McGregor is said to have handed himself into authorities at around 9pm local time on Thursday and is set to see a judge on Friday.
Artem Lobov, who was allegedly part of the group that stormed the building and attacked the coach, has also been removed from the UFC 223 card.
Thursday's ugly scenes follows White’s announcement that this weekend’s headline bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway at UFC 223 will be for McGregor’s lightweight championship, with the Dubliner absent from mixed martial arts since his victory over Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.
"No interim champ. When this fight is over, champion,” White said during a press conference on Wednesday while pointing towards both Nurmagomedov and Holloway. “One of these guys will be the champion.”
But McGregor issued a response on Thursday that left little to the imagination about how he feels over White’s decision, with the two-time UFC champion reacting in a similar way to the last time he was stripped of a belt.
“You’s’ll [sic] strip me of nothing you’s do nothing c***s,” McGregor wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.
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