April 7, 2018: UFC 223, MMA Mayhem!

A Brief History

On April 7, 2018, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts promotion television Pay-Per-View event labeled UFC 223 has been rocked by the bizarre assault of a UFC bus carrying fighters expected to fight in the event by one of their own major fighting stars on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Digging Deeper

A group of fighters and entourage members including high profile fighting star Irishman Conor “The Notorious” McGregor made their way into the basement of Barclays where they confronted and assaulted a bus carrying other MMA fighters, including fighters scheduled to be on the card of the pay-per-view event. Conor and his group yelled at the fighters on the bus, and threw various objects at the bus, including a 2-wheel dolly, trash cans, and other objects, breaking the windows and injuring some of the fighters within.

Injured in the assault were Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg, both of whom were scratched from fighting in UFC 223. Promoter and UFC executive Dana White was not surprisingly disgusted by the assault, both for the obvious financial disaster it generated and also for the well being of the fighters, as well as the black eye the melee has given the UFC. In another blow to the UFC 223 lineup, Max Holloway was declared medically unfit to fight due to extreme weight cutting, ruining the scheduled lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov which had previously been changed when title contender Tony Ferguson was medically disqualified from fighting Nurmagomedov for the title.

McGregor became an MMA and UFC superstar by winning both the Lightweight and Featherweight titles and holding them at the same time, the first UFC fighter to hold 2 titles simultaneously (winning the lightweight title in 2016). McGregor turned his fame into a jackpot by landing a boxing match with undefeated boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather, fighting a valiant battle to lose a 10 round fight to the boxing legend in 2017. McGregor is believed to have earned at least $50 million from the Mayweather fight (Floyd taking at least double that amount) and was poised for future big paydays, possible by fighting Mayweather again in the UFC under MMA rules.

The official poster for Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor.

Dana White had stripped McGregor of his UFC championships due to lack of defending those titles (last fight in the UFC was in November 2016), and the lightweight title was to be on the line between Max Holloway and Khabib Nurmagomedov, which is now off the card due to the medical complication to Holloway due to weight cutting. In addition to the 2 fights scratched due to injuries from the riotous incident, a third fight is also cancelled due to McGregor’s friend and teammate Artem Lobov being suspended from UFC 223 for his involvement in the violent fracas.

What a mess! The UFC 223 event will still take place, with some undercard fights promoted to the main card and substitute match ups for the undercard. McGregor and fellow fighter Cian Cowley were both arrested by NYPD and charged with assault and criminal mischief. Due to the serious monetary and human damage inflicted by the assault, some sort of jail time is certainly possible.

Conor McGregor’s once rising star is now in serious jeopardy. Depending on the course of justice the criminal case takes and possible firing or suspension by the UFC, and of course the possibility of suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission, as well as the lost public esteem for the fighter, McGregor’s future in fighting is in peril. A long suspension would ruing the prime of the 29 year old fighter’s career, undoubtedly costing him a lot of money and his place in MMA history. For what? So he could show off and blow off steam?

Sadly, this sort of violence and eruptive behavior is not unusual for Conor McGregor, as previous incidents have also threatened his career and very liberty. At Bellator 187 held in Dublin, Ireland in November of 2017, McGregor rushed into the cage to congratulate his friend Charlie Ward for a knockout victory over john Redmond. As the fight was not officially over (the referee had to check a replay to see if the knockout occurred before the buzzer), Conor should not have entered the cage. When the referee attempted to get McGregor out of the cage, McGregor pushed the ref violently, a major violation of fighting rules of conduct that endangered the knocked out Redmond as the ref was checking on the downed fighter’s condition. Confronted by a fighting commissioner, McGregor slapped the commissioner’s face. Needless to say, the Bellator promotion was quite upset with McGregor’s actions.

Meanwhile, UFC 223 will still take place, headlined by the Women’s Strawweight Championship fight between Champion Rose Namajunas and former Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Despite the high profile fighters pulled from the event, the card remains a strong lineup of interesting fights.

The poster for *UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta*.

Question for students (and subscribers): Is McGregor through as a professional fighter? Will he ever regain a professional title? Should he be allowed to fight again? Feel free to express your opinions on these subjects in the comments section below this article.

If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

Your readership is much appreciated!