Conor McGregor has reportedly been charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief following his wild rampage in New York on Sunday.
Two fighters have withdrawn from UFC 223 in New York on Sunday because of injuries suffered when Conor McGregor attacked a bus carrying competitorsfrom a media event.
The 29-year-old is expected to be hit with multiple charges but none have been filed at this point.
Video of the incident reportedly showed McGregor hurling an item through a side window of the bus as it moved slowly in a car park at the Barclays Centre in New York.
UFC President Dana White said fighter Michael Chiesa, who was on the bus, had been hospitalised following the incident and was being treated for cuts to his face.
There is a warrant out for Conor McGregor's arrest. Photo / AP
Chiesa later withdrew from his scheduled bout against Anthony Pettis. Flyweight Ray Borg, who was going to fight Brandon Moreno, is also reportedly off the card after experiencing eye issues from what is believed to be a piece of glass from the shattered window.
"They got down to the loading docks where the fighters were getting on the buses and attacked them, throwing trash cans, dollies, things like that," White said. "Broke one of the windows, cut Michael Chiesa real bad, cut his hand, cut his face. Rose Namajunas apparently was almost hit. She's super upset right now and basically left and walked back to the hotel. And one of our employees — broke one of our employee's knuckles. Other injuries, and obviously everybody's shaken up when 30 thugs storm a (bus). This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company."
UFC vice president of athlete development Reed Harris was on the bus. "At hospital with one of my coworkers," wrote Harris, in a since-deleted tweet. "Possible broken hand due to attack by Conor and his gang of thugs. I got cut and showered with glass. We thought we were gonna die".
White said New York police had issued a warrant for the arrest of McGregor, although a NYPD representative told MMAFighting.com no charges had been filed against the UFC champ and they were only looking to speak to him at this stage.
White accused the Irish superstar and a group of around 20 men of "storming the building."
"This is the type of bad decision you make that turns a lot of people against you," White said.
"There is a warrant out for Conor McGregor's arrest. They're looking for him right now. His plane cannot take off, he can't leave the state of New York. I'm assuming eventually he'll turn himself in."
McGregor is reportedly shown throwing a trash can in the video. Photo / Supplied
White said McGregor, who reportedly pocketed around $100 million for his superfight against boxer Floyd Mayweather last August, would likely face legal action over the incident.
"As you can imagine he's going to be sued beyond belief," White said. "This was a real bad career move for him."
WHAT SPARKED THE RAMPAGE
McGregor's assault appeared to be linked to an incident earlier this week involving his close friend and fellow UFC fighter Artem Lobov and Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov's team.
Nurmagomedov, whose fight against Max Holloway headlines the card in New York on Sunday (AEST), was reportedly inside the bus.
"Conor went bananas and put a beating on the van that we were in looking for Khabib," Chiesa's coach Rick Little told MMAJunkie. "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 too serious. Everything happened so fast, it was just like we got jumped."
White announced Lobov had been pulled from his fight against Alex Cacares at UFC 223. "Artem's off the card," White told reporters. "Artem's not fighting."
McGregor, 29, reportedly turned up unannounced at the end of Thursday's press event to publicise the upcoming UFC 223 card. He has been told he's "not welcome" at Saturday's weigh-in or the event on Sunday.
UFC has released a statement on today's incident involving Conor McGregor. He cannot attend #UFC223 and the organization is "currently working on the consequences that will follow" https://t.co/9MDIMqbVflpic.twitter.com/jHV6gC1cPG
"Listen, he's got some beef with Khabib because of the Artem thing that went down," White said. "You don't come into Barclays Centre, attack people in a bus who are fighting the next day, and the worst part is the women who were on the bus.
"They're fighters — Rose (Namajunas) is a fighter and Karolina (Kowalkiewicz) is a fighter — but these goons are throwing bike racks and chairs and things like that through the windows of the bus and didn't care who they hit or who they hurt.
"I don't know if [McGregor is] on drugs, or what his deal is. But to come and do this and to act like this — you're talking about a guy who had a baby," White added. "He just had a kid. This is how you're acting? You have a son at home."
Nurmagomedov told MMAFighting.com he was "laughing inside". "You broke window? Why? Come inside," he said. "If you real gangster why don't you come inside? This is big history gangster place. Brooklyn. You want to talk to me? Send me location. I am going to come. No problem."
MCGREGOR'S CAREER IN JEOPARDY
On Wednesday, White said the UFC would strip McGregor of his lightweight title, which would be awarded to the winner of Saturday's fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway in New York.
"No interim champ. When this fight is over, champion," White said. McGregor reacted angrily to the decision on social media. "You's'll strip me of nothing ..." McGregor ranted.
After Thursday's chaos the UFC president was asked if he "still wants to be in the Conor McGregor business".
"Right now, no, absolutely not," White responded. "I mean, do you want to be in business with Conor McGregor right now? Do you want to chase this guy around for interviews and buy his fights? Do you? I don't think anybody is going to want to right now. I think everybody is going to be pretty disgusted with Conor McGregor right now. Listen, you don't like Khabib and you don't like what happened or whatever? Then fight Khabib.
McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, pictured, have a rivalry that stretches all the way back to UFC 205 in 2016. Photo / Getty Images
"The police are going to take care of Conor. The police are going to handle Conor, and I know a handful of people here already that are filing lawsuits against Conor McGregor. God knows how many lawsuits he's going to have by the time this is done.
"What happened today was criminal, disgusting, despicable, makes me sick, and we as an organization need to make sure that this never happens again."
MCGREGOR AND KHABIB'S HISTORY
McGregor and Nurmagomedov have a rivalry that stretches all the way back to UFC 205 in 2016.
After he won his match early in the evening, Nurmagomedov took the mic and called McGregor a "chicken." The moniker stuck and McGregor even poked fun at it in a recent commercial for Burger King's newest chicken sandwich.
However, the relationship turned into more than banter Wednesday. Running into each other in the fighters' hotel, Nurmagomedov got into a verbal altercation with Artem Lobov, McGregor's close friend.
"Never say my name. You got me? I didn't hear you?! Motherf — r," Lobov apparently said.
"You didn't say it? You didn't say it? Don't say these things again. Chechen man."
