Tag: UFC 223

All Hell Breaks Loose at UFC 223 Media Day as Conor McGregor and His Crew Blitz Fighters’ Caravan, McGregor Now In Police Custody

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So there honestly isn’t a great “article” out there detailing what happened yesterday but the good folks at Sherdog have an interesting social media and youtube breakdown that gives you not only a first person view of what went on, but a surreal one at that as you see and hear multiple UFC fighters as basically people at their jobs thrown into a chaotic situation.

The story itself goes like this: All of the UFC 223 fighters were at the Barclays Center for “media day”, where they sit and take numerous interviews from every outlet imaginable in the MMA world and beyond in order to promote their fight and the event. I know this is not what this blog is about but I’d like to address this is as grueling as it sounds. In the middle of a weight cut and 2 days away from a cage fight and you have to spend the whole day answer the same questions over and over.

Anyway, after media day the fighters were in a couple of vans, located under the Barclay’s where team buses normally are, waiting to go back to the hotel they were staying at. Unbeknownst to the fighters, security, etc. reps from The Mac Life, Conor McGregor’s website and branding campaign(s), had media credentials and thus access to the area where the caravan of vehicles was. McGregor apparently had taken exception to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s altercation with Artem Lobov, Khabib’s statement about there being one king after Saturday, being stripped of his belt in general, a combination of all of the above, or something else entirely and had flown across the Goddam Atlantic Ocean to rectify the situation. The folks from The Mac Life let him and a dozen or so of his crew, Lobov included, in a side door or something and they attacked the van Khabib was in. They threw some trash cans and barricades and God knows what else at the van. One projectile demolished one of the windows, cutting both Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg, who were sitting next to it, causing them to be pulled from their fights tomorrow. Something else cracked a windshield. This was all after McGregor’s crew demanded that somebody get off the van to confront them, most likely Khabib.

In the videos above you can see the look of absolute shock and confoundment in Ray Borg’s face. Like “is this happening?” You can hear Joanna Jedrzejczyk say something with the same amount of disbelief. Like I said it’s surreal. Another video from IG taken by someone in a Starbucks near or in the Barclay’s shows McGregor and his people running out of the building and into a large SUV. He was at large for awhile before surrendering and being taken into police custody around 10:30pm EST last night when he realized he’d probably be charged. I mean, shit. To be 29, at the height of your powers, a multi-millionaire many times over, and have an entire sport in your hand only to pull some shit like this is beyond stupid.

Who knows what was going through his head. Aside from the criminal charges, which will actually probably net out to some fines or what not when you think about it, there is a laundry list of other consequences that Conor will probably face. All of them of course are “probable” as it Conor McGregor after all. He’ll probably be suspended by the UFC itself. Dana White already said he’s not a fan of being in the CM business right now. He’ll probably be suspended by the NYSAC, which will be enforced by all athletic commissions in the United States. Whether or not you think athletic commissions overstep is a debate for another time, it’s probably happening. Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg could absolutely seek damages for their lost fight money as they have been pulled. The same could actually be said for their opponents, Anthony Pettis and Brandon Moreno. To that extent, while not the marquee fights on the card, losing them and the Lobov-Caceres fight, cancelled due to Lobov being pulled for his actions, could cost the UFC some money which means the UFC could go after Conor monetarily as well. It’s just a mess of shit that could rain down on him and that is just what comes off the top of my head as O, Idk, someone who isn’t a fucking lawyer.

The TL:DR of this blog is staggering: Conor and his buddies attack a group of UFC fighters on a van resulting in 3 fights being cancelled, two fighters being CUT BY BROKEN GLASS, and McGregor himself being arrested. Dana White called it “the most digusting” incident in UFC history and he may not be wrong, it really has been hard to process. It will be interesting to see as McGregor’s legal and professional battle unfold what the ramifications will be for the winner of tonight’s Main Event and the UFC as a whole. He didn’t come here to take part. He came here to cause chaos.

Here. We. Go. (Again) – Khabib Nurmagomedov Vs. Tony Ferguson Official For UFC 223 in Brooklyn

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So I didn’t hear this directly, but it is all over the “Toucher and Rich” twitter that this morning Dana White himself confirmed on the show – one of  Boston’s top morning sports-talk programs, for those not in the know – that The Eagle vs. Tony Ferguson will go down in Brooklyn at UFC 223. This also almost guarantees Conor McGregor will be “stripped” of his 155lb belt, as Dana White has previously alluded, and that this fight will be for the undisputed championship, not Ferguson’s as-previously billed-as Interim Title.

This is, I believe, something like the 4th time this fight has been booked in some capacity, the last being the infamous UFC 209 fiasco where Nurmagomedov couldn’t even show up for weigh-ins. With Tyler Minton now firmly entrenched as his trusted nutritionist, I’m actually pretty optimistic weight issues are in the past for the Dagestani. the venue is also of note, as the UFC is very well aware of Brooklyn’s large Russian population, something they’ve exploited in the past by having Nurmagomedov hold interviews there, etc.

It goes without saying that this fight is huge for the division, the UFC, and most directly, the two fighters involved. Whoever wins this fight is almost assuredly also the next winner of the McGregor sweepstakes, as White has also mentioned  that The Notorious would like to come back to the Octagon in the fall. His opponent, one would assume, would be the winner of this fight, giving McGregor an opportunity to win back the belt he was “stripped of” due to his elongated vacation from the cage. Whoever faces McGregor is now always expected to receive an inflated payday and permanent boost in stature, and it can be expected that the man who will emerge from this long-awaited clash of 155ers with a belt around his waist will see an even bigger bump than normal.

As for the UFC and the division, this fight will be a huge part of unweaving quite the web spun by McGregor’s absence, injuries to both competitors, and Nurmagomedov’s fight with the scale. As long as all goes to plan over the next 9-11 months, we will know, in no uncertain terms, who the top 3 Lightweights are, in order. This is not unimportant, as the Lightweight division has been historically one of the UFCs most storied, having been the home of legends like B.J Penn and Frankie Edgar. Their heir awaits them.