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."
UFC president Dana White announces Conor McGregor stripped of lightweight championship
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.
Who will Conor McGregor fight next?
10 show all Who will Conor McGregor fight next?
1/10 Who will Conor McGregor fight next? Various characters from various sports are queuing up for the chance to fight McGregor, but what is the Irishman's most likely next move? Getty Images
2/10 Tony Ferguson Ferguson beat Kevin Lee in an interim title fight and is McGregor's most likely next opponent. Getty Images
3/10 Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC president Dana White said McGregor had told him he wanted to fight Nurmagomedov in Russia shortly after Christmas. But the Russian's injury problems likely discount him from the equation. Getty Images
4/10 Nate Diaz II It's the fight all MMA fans want to see. But Diaz has been inactive since the McGregor rematch and is hardly deserving of being granted a title shot. Getty Images
5/10 Tyron Woodley McGregor has spoken about challenging for a third UFC title. But before he challenges Woodley he mus tsurely defend his lightweight strap. Getty Images
6/10 Georges St-Pierre An MMA dream fight. Unlikely to be McGregor's next move, however. Getty Images
7/10 Paulie Malignaggi There is bad blood between the pair and if McGregor decides to remain in boxing, Malignaggi is his most likely next opponent. Getty Images
8/10 Amir Khan Khan recently admitted he wants to return to boxing in 2018. Could he fight McGregor in a money-spinning bout? Getty Images
9/10 Floyd Mayweather II A rematch was widely rumoured ahead of their first contest, but Mayweather now insists he has no plans to come out of retirement. Getty Images
10/10 WWE Expect this to happen at some point. But it would be a surprise if McGregor was to move into wrestling before defending his lightweight title. Getty Images
"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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Conor McGregor, the mixed martial arts fighter known for his antics, turned himself in to police on Thursday after a video was released that allegedly showed him attacking a bus full of several UFC fighters in Brooklyn, the NYPD told Fox News.
He has not been charged and the investigation into an earlier melee that reportedly left one UFC fighter bloodied is ongoing, police said.
A Los Angeles Times reporter tweeted that he visited the precicnt holding McGregor and the fighter is not expected out until later Friday morning, when charges will be filed.
TMZ first reported the news along with the harrowing video filmed from inside the bus.
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.
The UFC sad in a statement that McGregor and Artem Lobov entered the area with over a dozen individuals. The group vandalized the bus, the statement said.
"Lobov has been removed from this weekend’s card and individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow’s ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday’s event at Barclays Center,” the statement said.
The New York Police Department said McGregor threw a hand truck at a bus causing minor injury to an individual on the bus. At least two fights at Saturday's UFC 223 card have been scrapped as a result of the incident.
"The organization deems today's disruption completely unacceptable and is currently working on the consequences that will follow," UFC said in a statement. "Individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow's ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday's event at Barclays Center."
WARNING: The below videos contain graphic language
Michael Chiesa, a fighter, has been reportedly hospitalized from injuries caused by the broken window.
According to The Washington Post, McGregor took issue with UFC president Dana White saying that the upcoming bout between Max Holloway and Khabib Nurmagomedov will decide the new UFC lightweight championship with no qualifier in front of the title.
McGregor won the title in 2016, but stepped away from the UFC last year in order to train for his highly-publicized boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. It seems that McGregor took issue with the idea of being stripped of his title.
White told TMZ that this is "bigger than us firing him" in reference to McGregor, hinting that the star may be in greater legal trouble for the scuffle.
White told a reporter that there is a warrant for McGregor's arrest. Police did not confirm to Fox News that there was a warrant.
"They're looking for him right now. His plane cannot take off, he cannot leave the state of New York with this warrant. He'll be grounded. I'm assuming, eventually, if they don't catch him, he'll turn himself in," White says. "I imagine he's going to be sued beyond belief and... this is a real bad career move for him."
Reps for White did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
UFC star Conor McGregor has turned himself into police in the wake of a backstage melee he instigated that has forced the removal of three fights off 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 press conference for UFC 223 at Barclays Center.
caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) yoooooo... first time seeing this one. Conor has legit lost his mind. pic.twitter.com/XcLFd2FIMo
McGregor was being processed and no charges had been filed as of Thursday night.
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.
The New York police department said McGregor threw a hand truck at a bus causing minor injury to an individual on the bus. UFC said three fights on Saturday’s UFC 223 card have been scrapped as a result of the incident.
“The organization deems today’s disruption completely unacceptable and is currently working on the consequences that will follow,” UFC said in a statement. “Individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow’s ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday’s event at Barclays Center.”
McGregor has not fought for UFC since November 2016 and was stripped this week by UFC president Dana White of the 155lb championship he had never defended. White also said this week he did not expect McGregor to attend Saturday’s fights.
McGregor profanely responded on Twitter and wrote, “You’ll strip me of nothing.”
McGregor last fought at all he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr in a boxing match on 26 August 2017.
The popular Irishman is tight with UFC 223 fighter Artem Lobov, who was involved this week in a scuffle in a hotel with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov fights Max Holloway for the lightweight championship left vacant by McGregor.
Lobov was yanked from the card and banned from the building.
Michael Chiesa was sent to the hospital with injuries sustained in the attack and was forced out of his scheduled fight against Anthony Pettis.
New York police are hunting for Conor McGregor after he attacked a van carrying fellow UFC fighters on Thursday.
The Irishman arrived in the city ahead of UFC 223 on Saturday night which features Khabib Nurmagomedov against Max Holloway for McGregor's old lightweight title.
The 29-year-old, who was in New York to support teammate Artem Lobov in his fight against Alex Caceres, picked up a railing and threw it at the bus.
Members of his entourage also picked up objects, including steel bins and chairs, and aimed them at the vehicle.
Lightweight Michael Chiesa, who is due to face Anthony Pettis on Saturday, suffered a cut to his head from the shattered glass and was taken to hospital.
The van was taking the fighters, including Nurmagomedov, back to their hotel following a media day at the Barclays Centre.
UFC president Dana White and the New York Police Department were called to the scene.
