On Nov. 10, MMA fighter Conor McGregor jumped into the cage at Bellator 187 to celebrate teammate Charlie Ward’s first-round TKO (knockout) against John Redmond. However, an altercation soon erupted between McGregor and the referee, after McGregor was pulled off of his teammate.
During the incident, McGregor slapped a Bellator official and twice pushed referee Marc Goddard before being ejected from the arena.
In a social media post that was deleted shortly afterward, McGregor wrote: “Bloke KO’d on floor bout a minute straight and ref trying to say, ‘fight’s not over Conor.’ That’s when I lost it. F*** you’s all.”
In videos of the incident, it appears that McGregor was mad that Goddard didn’t stop the fight sooner. McGregor can be seen yelling: “that’s a f***ing stoppage.”
The president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, Mike Mazzulli, called McGregor’s actions “inappropriate and unacceptable” in a statement.
“Mr. Conor McGregor, who was a spectator at the time, disrupted the event by scaling the cage prior to the conclusion of the bout,” the statement read. “Mr. McGregor’s conduct jeopardized the health and safety of the bout participants by delaying necessary medical attention to the fighters that were injured during the round.”
“In addition, Mr. McGregor assaulted Referee Mark [sic] Goddard and a Bellator staff,” the statement continued. “The MTDAR has been in consultation with the upper management of the UFC regarding Mr. McGregor’s inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.”
On Nov. 14, McGregor issued an apology for his behavior:
I sincerely apologize for my behavior at last weekends fight event in Dublin. While trying to support a loyal teammate and friend, I let my emotions get the best of me and acted out of line. As a multiple weight UFC champion, executive producer, role model and public figure, I must hold myself to a higher standard.
The referee Marc Godard was making a horrendous decision in trying to pick an unconscious fighter up off the floor and force the fight to continue into the second round. Even against the wishes of the said fighters coach. The fight was over.
After witnessing my fighter in a fight where the worst happened and the opponent passed away from his injuries on the night, I thought the worst was about to happen again, and I lost it and over reacted. I am sorry to everyone.
I sincerely apologize to the Director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, Mike Mazzulli, all the officials and staff working the event, Andy Ryan and his fighter John, two stonch ones that put up a great fight every time. That side will always have my respect, and lastly every one of my fans. I love yous all!
I’ve always learned from my mistakes and this will be no different.
Conor McGregor (Instagram)
Watch this video of the incident:
