The UFC’s lightweight titleholder may be spending some time away from the Octagon of his own volition, but he hasn’t managed to keep himself out of headlines. “The Notorious” Conor McGregor recently held a “scripted” interview with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani in Manchester. McGregor even charged fans to see it live, putting the interview up on Pay-Per-View.
During the interview, McGregor put his employer — the UFC — on blast while making his intent to compete in boxing known. McGregor even went as far as to say that his next bout will not be in the UFC next.
UFC President Dana White obviously did not take the comments lightly. He vowed to battle McGregor every step of the way shortly after the interview. Referencing the ‘Ali Act’, McGregor claims the UFC can do very little to stop him from stepping inside the ring.
Conor McGregor Recently Held An Interview Which Aired Live on Pay-Per-View
McGregor is obviously on the hunt for a multi-million dollar payday to face boxing pound-for-pound legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Mayweather, who is 49-0 as a pro boxer, is looking to return to competition for his 50th bout. McGregor, who has never competed in professional boxing, represents the most financially significant bout for Mayweather.
During McGregor’s Pay-Per-View interview, the Irishman’s sentiments were clear and he was clearly worked up about it all. Apparently so were his fans.
After the question and answer portion of the interview, a brawl broke out in the crowd involving some 20 people just a little past 4am. A report from Bloody Elbow detailed police accounts.
A Brawl Involving 20 People Broke Out After the Q&A Portion
“There was a lot of confusion about what happened and how many people were involved in last night’s fighting but we are now clear that there were a maximum of around 20 people involved in the disorder,” stated Detective Inspector John Stainton from the Stretford Police Station.
“We are appealing for anyone who saw anything to get in touch as soon as possible. Behavior like we saw last night is not acceptable and I’m only thankful that there weren’t any more serious injuries.”
One witness said: “Hi, just been past EventCity and there is all police in the car park, part of it is cordoned off, quite a few police vans and cars.”
Reports from the police also say that at least one person suffered serious injuries. Three others were confirmed to have been taken to the hospital to treat minor injuries.
