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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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UFC Star Conor McGregor Cuffed and Bailed in Brooklyn

Handcuffed behind his back, Ultimate Fighting Championship Conor McGregor received a $50,000 bail package Friday at his first court hearing over assault charges following a brawl that spilled outside the ring.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CN) – Handcuffed behind his back, Ultimate Fighting Championship Conor McGregor received a $50,000 bail package Friday at his first court hearing over assault charges following a brawl that spilled outside the ring.

“He is captured on video surveillance picking up a chair and throwing it through a passenger window on a bus, causing injuries to multiple individuals on that bus,” Assistant District Attorney Wilfredo Cotto said of the 29-year-old Irish star.

McGregor’s friend, Cian Cowley, a mixed-martial artist also seen in the backstage melee, had to pay a $15,000 package and will return with McGregor for another hearing on June 14.

“We’ve agreed to a bail package so that they can travel internationally and continue to pursue their sport and their craft,” McGregor’s attorney Jim Walden told a judge, adding that risk of flight would not be a concern.

“He’s one of the most visible people on the planet,” Walden added.

Charged in Kings County with eight counts of assault, menacing, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, McGregor was filmed getting into unauthorized rumble on Thursday after a news conference for UFC 223 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Prosecutors claim multiple men inside the bus that McGregor hit with the chair were hospitalized, reporting bruising, swelling, corneal abrasions and other injuries.

Judge Connie Mallafre Melendez issued an order of protection against the fighters.

“You are ordered to stay away from these individuals,” Melendez said.

“You must have no contact with them,” she continued, warning McGregor and Cowley to keep away from them by phone, email or social media. “You must not go where they live. You must not go where they work.

Asked if he understood, McGregor said: “Yes, your honor.”

Dressed in a blue shirt, jeans and white sneakers, McGregor said no more than that in court, which was filled with reporters, fans and spectators.

Unlike photographers and videographers with judicial authorization, spectators at the hearing faced repeated warnings by deputies that their phones would be confiscated if they attempted to take photos or videos of the proceedings. The spectacle spread outside the courtroom, where rows of people lined up with smartphones, cameras and video equipment in the hallway, lobby, balcony and front entrance.

Categories / Criminal, Entertainment, Sports, Trials

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