Conor McGregor jumps cage and confronts referee Marc Goddard
In troubling scenes, Conor McGregor jumped into the cage at Bellator 187 and confronted referee Marc Goddard in addition to taking a swipe at a Bellator official.
McGregor jumped into the cage after his teammate Charlie Ward knocked out his opponent John Redmond with one second left of the first round despite not being named as a licensed cornerman. Referee Marc Goddard and security would then look to remove McGregor from the cage but the UFC’s lightweight champion took exception to his treatment.
With officials looking to separate Ward and McGregor, McGregor would charge toward Goddard who had now taken his attention to the fallen Redmond and pushed the referee from behind.
Madness in Dublin thanks to @TheNotoriousMMA!!! DO NOT miss #Bellator187 TONIGHT on @spike 9/8c pic.twitter.com/BGWcOBDvFb
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 10, 2017
Additional video from the event also appeared to show McGregor slap a Bellator official after attempting to re-enter the cage.
Goddard and McGregor have also had a recent run-in with one another as Goddard paused the action between another of McGregor’s teammates Artem Lobov during a bout with Andre Fili at UFC Fight Night 118 to tell McGregor to return to his seat.
Bellator have released the following statement concerning the situation:
We are aware of the in-cage altercation involving Conor McGregor and a Bellator staff member. Viacom and Bellator hold the safety and well-being of our staff in the highest regard and we’re currently reviewing the situation.
ABC president Mike Mazzulli, president of the event’s regulatory body, has also gone on record to say: “Mr. McGregor is not bigger than the sport of MMA,” concerning potential punishment.