Back in November 2016, he was the face of the UFC. In August 2017, he was the face of the professional fighting industry as a whole. Now, UFC fighter Conor McGregor is the face of news stories around the globe, after the shocking events that transpired on April 5th 2018.

Labelled by UFC president Dana White as “the most disgusting thing to happen in UFC history”, Conor McGregor and approximately 20 of his ‘thugs’ stormed a bus filled with UFC fighter’s just days before they were scheduled to fight at UFC 223, throwing bins, dolly’s and other objects through the windows of the bus, causing panic and even severe cuts to the face of UFC fighter Michael Chiesa.

The motives for this are uncertain as of yet, however many speculate that the instigative factor was a scuffle between McGregor’s close friend (and fellow fighter) Artem Lobov and UFC 223’s headline fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov at a hotel just days before the assault. Furthermore, Khabib fought for and defeated fighter Max Holloway for the UFC Lightweight championship – a title stripped from Conor due to his inactivity in the division.

No concrete decisions have been made yet in terms of Conor’s status with the organisation, however he has been charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief, a situation which cannot stand the Irish-man in good stead with the organisation. Dana White said he is “absolutely disgusted” with Conor’s actions, and that he “absolutely does not want to be in business with him right now”, so as of now, it appears uncertain that Conor’s relations with the UFC will continue, however his superstardom and value to the UFC are undeniable, so it remains to be seen what will transpire with regards to his affiliation to the organisation.

By Kai Melhuish, Debden Park School.