Conor McGregor has been taken into custody and charged at the 78th precinct, Brooklyn, New York after an alleged rampage at the UFC 223 press conference yesterday evening.
An NYPD spokesperson informed balls.ie that a second Irishman, 25-year-old male Cian Cowley, has also been charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and one count of criminal mischief. It is understood Cowley is an Irish MMA fighter from Hyde Park, Dalkey, Dublin. Both individuals will appear in court today.
The charges come after videos circulated on social media of an attack in the loading area of the Brooklyn arena that saw trash cans, dollies and rails thrown at a bus containing several fighters expected to be involved on Saturday night.
After yesterday's events, the UFC released a statement saying:
During today's media event at Barclays Center to promote UFC 223: Khabib vs. Holloway, Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov entered the building accompanied by over a dozen individuals.
The group, which included McGregor and Lobov, vandalized the vehicle that contained a number of athletes competing at the event taking place this weekend. NYPD was immediately alerted and is currently in the process of investigating the situation. UFC is working very closely with the New York Athletic Commission, Barclays Center security and law enforcement authorities. All parties are working together to ensure the highest standard of proper safety precautions are implemented to protect the fans and athletes.
The organization deems today's disruption completely unacceptable and is currently working on the consequences that will follow. Immediately, Lobov has been removed from this weekend's card and individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow's ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday's event at Barclays Center.
