UFC Will Not Punish Conor McGregor for Infamous Bus Attack

Conor McGregor has apparently gotten out of his New York tantrum unscathed with the UFC as well as with the law, according to a report by TMZ.

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White spoke to TMZ Sports about the embattled athlete and his upcoming bout, confirming that there is no suspension or other disciplinary action in the works for McGregor. McGregor is set to face off against Khabib Nurmagomedov on Oct. 6.

“Obviously, I’ve been telling you guys forever we had to wait until Conor’s stuff was handled in New York,” White explained. “[That] got done. Obviously, it was very favorable for Conor. Time to roll.”

McGregor was ordered to complete five days of community service and complete an anger management course after his outburst back in April. At the time, the Irish fighting icon threw a hand cart at a bus full of other MMA fighters, injuring three. At first, he was charged with felony mischief and three counts of misdemeanor assault — charges that could have landed him some serious jailtime if he hadn’t reached a plea deal.

“I say it all the time,” White went on, “Conor is that ‘fight anybody, anywhere, any time’ guy. He is the type of guy that gets people excited about fighting, because that’s his mentality.”

McGregor is perhaps the biggest star in the UFC these days, but White could not very easily defend him after the New York outburst. However, he feels that there is nothing to be gained from punishing the 30-year-old any further. Asked to respond to those that wanted McGregor suspended, White cracked a smile.

“Suspended?” he asked. “He hasn’t fought in 2 years. How much longer should we suspend him? He’s obviously lost lots of money — millions of dollars — with what went down in New York. What more could we do to him? He went through the legal process and got what he got. That’s it.”

Long-time UFC fans had little doubt that McGregor would be back in the ring eventually, despite White’s initial reaction to the assault. At the time, White spoke to reporters on ESPN’s Get Up! about the incident, where he said frankly that he would not try to cover for McGregor.

“Normally, yes, I would dive right in and do everything in my power to help one of my guys. But not in this situation,” White said back in April. “He came into the Barclays Center, attacked our fighters and attacked my staff with a bunch of guys. No, you don’t get my help on this one.”

He also assured fans that the attack was not a publicity stunt to draw more attention to McGregor or the other fighters.

“This is the last stunt on Earth that we’d ever pull,” he said. “This is embarrassing for the sport and obviously for the UFC. This is the furthest thing from a stunt. This is bad.”