McGregor Attacks Bus: Odds His UFC Career Is Over

• There’s a warrant out for Conor McGregor after he attacked Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bus.
• Will the former lightweight champ ever set foot in the Octagon again?
• Is there a jail cell in Notorious’ future?

Conor McGregor is on the attack!

The former UFC lightweight champion is in Brooklyn for UFC 223, where Khabib Nurmagomedov will face Max Holloway this Saturday for the belt that used to sit around McGregor’s waist. Apparently, Notorious is a little annoyed that his title was taken away due to inactivity.

You’s’ll strip me of nothing you’s do nothing cunts.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 5, 2018

McGregor and his posse confronted Nurmagomedov’s bus in the Barclays Center parking garage following UFC 223 media day. “Confronted” is a nice way of saying he went full soccer hooligan.

I’m told that chairs were thrown through the van window and one passenger on the van was injured.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 5, 2018

McGregor’s assault was partially captured on video, as well.

What is the fallout of this “bus incident” going to be for the Irishman? The reports certainly sound criminal in nature, the videos seem to support that, and there’s already a warrant out for his arrest.

Is there any chance he does jail time? Will Dana White suspend him from the UFC? Will McGregor ever get a shot at regaining the stripped lightweight belt that is at the center of all of this mayhem?

Based on what we know at this time, which, to be clear, isn’t much, here’s how we see the odds on McGregor’s future as it’s related to the bus attack.

UFC president Dana White condemned McGregor’s actions in harsh terms following the incident.

“This is most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.” — Dana White

While White obviously can’t publically condone the fracas, he has to be smirking, at least a little, on the inside. It’s no secret that the UFC is suffering from a lack of name-brand fighters right now. Conor is still the biggest name in the sport and has the potential to generate the most revenue for the UFC even though he hasn’t set foot in the Octagon since November 2016. His antics only increase his saleability.

Mark my words, the UFC will put McGregor back in the Octagon as soon as possible, and the obvious matchup is a title fight against the lightweight champ. Not that McGregor ever needs help selling a fight, but that matchup now sells itself.

That reality doesn’t rule out the possibility of a UFC suspension. The winner of Nurmagomedov vs Holloway will need time to recover, and White could nominally “suspend” McGregor for a short spell without really impacting the date of a McGregor-vs-winner fight.

What the justice system has to say about the bus attack is another question entirely. Setting aside questions of admissibility for another day, there’s pretty damning evidence that McGregor threw a friggin’ guard rail at Nurmagomedov’s bus and that people were injured somewhere along the line. A criminal record could very well be in his future, though a jail cell probably not.