Bad news for fans of UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. The famed Irishman appears to be catching some heat after attacking MMA referee Marc Goddard at Bellator 187…
Earlier this week, UFC middleweight and ex-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre made an interesting statement. GSP said the UFC was ‘not a sport anymore’ but had instead become ‘like WWE.’
Pro wrestling comparisons are not a new trend for the UFC, but they were magnified by their biggest star at Bellator 187. Was Conor McGregor simply putting on a show? In case you missed what happened, here’s a rundown.
While his SBG (Straight Blast Gym) compadre Charlie Ward competed against John Redmond, an amped Conor McGregor watched cageside. Screaming instructions in an animated manner, McGregor was fixated on seeing his teammate break his losing streak.
Landing a clean punch to the jaw of his opponent, it appeared Ward had his man done in the final second of round one. From here on, it was pure chaos in the Bellator cage.
What a Mess
Returning to the cage for another serving, McGregor then slapped a commissioner in the face before storming off again. Later, as he was escorted out by security, McGregor labeled referee Marc Goddard a ‘rat.’
Goddard was the very same man who urged McGregor to ‘stop instructing’ Artem Lobov during his fight at UFC Gdansk. That very same night, ‘The Notorious’ was caught on camera calling Lobov’s opponent, Andre Fili, a ‘faggot.’
According to ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions) president Mike Mazzulli, as per Sean Sheehan, the incident has spurred the UFC to remove McGregor from the upcoming UFC 219 card:
Mike Mazzulli tells @arielhelwani that the UFC informed him that Conor McGregor was going to be on the December 30th card but has been pulled from that spot because of his actions at Bellator 187
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) November 13, 2017
True or False?
There’s been a lot of noise about this being a fake move by the UFC to make it look like they are punishing McGregor. Consider this, though, prior to the Bellator incident, the UFC teased they would announce the UFC 219 main event that very weekend.
McGregor had been heavily linked to a lightweight unification match with interim champ Tony Ferguson.
With UFC Fight Night 120 going down the night following Bellator 187 in Norfolk, fans expected to hear the news then, on Saturday. It never happened. Could it be the UFC was forced to pull their biggest draw?
ABC Full Statement n Bellator 187 Madness
While the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) was regulating Bellator 187 in Dublin, Ireland, on November 10, 2017, the following events took place during the Ward vs Redmond bout.
Mr. Conor McGregor who was a spectator at the time, disrupted the event by scaling the cage prior to the conclusion of the bout. 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 Goddard and a Bellator staff.
The MTDAR has been in consultation with the upper management of the UFC regarding Mr. McGregor’s inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.
The MTDAR has also contacted members of the Association of Boxing Commissioners that have licensed Mr. McGregor in their jurisdictions to inform them of Mr. McGregor’s behavior.
