Conor McGregor may not have set foot inside the Octagon in over 500 days but his presence is still felt within the UFC. McGregor and his entourage snuck into the Barclays Center for the UFC 223 media Thursday and caused a scene.
McGregor and his entourage attacked a van filled with several UFC fighters who were attempting to leave the venue, causing damage to the van and leaving fighter Michael Chiesa with a laceration – resulting in a trip to the hospital.
The bizarre event seemed to stem from an altercation between McGregor’s training partner Artem Lobov and Khabib Nurmagomedov two days prior, though no definitive motive has been disclosed.
McGregor turned himself in to the New York City Police Department late Thursday night. He is expected to be in court Friday where he will face charges of assault and criminal mischief.
Many people on social media are calling for the former champion to face serious criminal repercussions after his actions on Thursday. And though that seems unlikely given McGregor’s position in the sport – and in the larger lexicon of pop culture – betting odds have nonetheless been released on whether “The Notorious One” will face jail time.
Online sportsbook Sportsbook has the odds of McGregor going to prison in 2018 listed at +700, with the MMA superstar avoiding time behind bars coming back at -1600.
A more realistic outcome might be McGregor being released from the UFC. Though that would be a massive blow to the company, as McGregor is easily its highest-drawing fighter right now, UFC president Dana White seems more than a little unhappy with the former champion.
“This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company,” White said shortly after the events transpired. “You can imagine (McGregor)’s going to be sued beyond belief and this was a real bad career move for him.”
Sportsbook has McGregor being released from the UFC in 2018 listed at +150 with “No” coming back at -200.
