Updated 9pm
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS star Conor McGregor has appeared in court charged with assault and criminal mischief by the NYPD after an incident at an MMA event in the city yesterday afternoon (evening time in Ireland).
McGregor was bailed and will be allowed return to Ireland before a 14 June hearing.
McGregor spent last night in a Brooklyn police station, after surrendering, and was escorted to a criminal court in handcuffs.
He stood before a judge in jeans, saying nothing except “yes your honor.”
The judge set bail at $50,000 in a package that allows McGregor to travel without restriction. His next court date was set for 14 June.
“He’s the most visible face on the planet. He has no criminal history and the bail package is completely appropriate,” McGregor’s lawyer Jim Walden told the court.
McGregor and some associates were filmed storming the event, held in advance of UFC 223 which is due to take place this weekend, and allegedly damaged a bus and injured at least two fighters.
McGregor has been charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief, a spokesman for the NYPD confirmed.
The fighter is currently being held at the NYPD’s 78th precinct in Brooklyn.
A second MMA fighter, Cian Cowley, has also been charged with one count of misdemeanour assault and one count of criminal mischief.
McGregor had handed himself in at about 9pm New York time last night.
The incident at the Barclay’s Centre in Brooklyn at 1.30pm New York time happened in the wake of the UFC stating that McGregor would be officially stripped of his title at this weekend’s event.
McGregor hasn’t defended his title since 2016.
Two UFC competitors have been sidelined from the coming event due to injuries sustained during yesterday’s incident.
Last night, the UFC condemned McGregor’s actions as “completely unacceptable” in a statement, and said that neither he nor Artem Lobov, the fighter who accompanied him during last night’s incident, are welcome to attend at Saturday night’s event.
Lobov had been due to fight this weekend but has now been pulled from the event.
Dana White, the UFC’s president, meanwhile separately described McGregor’s actions as the “most disgusting thing in UFC’s history”.
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