Conor McGregor Being Sued Over UFC 202 Press Conference Incident
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor continues to face consequences to his actions at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference last year. His debt to the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) for the bottle-throwing mess has already been paid. However, he is not out of hot water in regards to that incident.
The UFC champion is being sued by a man who says he was hit in the back by a can of Monster Energy that McGregor threw during the press conference that took place in August of 2016 to build the hype for his rematch with Nate Diaz at the event. The Blast was the first to report the news.
By looking back at the press conference, McGregor and Diaz, as well as their respective teams, got into a skirmish that involved foreign objects being thrown all over the MGM Grand’s David Copperfield Theater in Las Vegas. At the end of it, McGregor stayed on the stage while Diaz and his team retreated through the crowd. This led to McGregor launching water bottles and one energy drink can toward the squad.
The man who filed suit, William Pegg, stated in the lawsuit that he was hit near his left shoulder by the can. According to the report, the plaintiff is claiming he sustained just below $5,000 in medical bills due to the injury incurred. He’s asking for a total of $95,000 from McGregor, which is based on McGregor’s presumed $15 million revenue from the UFC 202 fight with Diaz.
Pegg filed the lawsuit back on March 28th. Obviously, this led to McGregor’s legal team responding by denying liability on July 27th. What’s interesting is that McGregor Sports & Entertainment is also listed as a defendant in the case.
If you recall, McGregor was fined $25,000 and given 25 hours of community service by the Nevada commission in March for the incident. On the flip side, Diaz was fined $15,000 and given 15 hours of community service for his role in the mess in April.
As seen at the event, McGregor beat Diaz in the main event of UFC 202 by majority decision and has become a bigger worldwide star since. McGregor is coming off the biggest bout of his career as he fought Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match that could end up setting the record for pay-per-view buys. The future of the UFC champion in MMA (mixed martial arts) is up in the air, but his most likely opponent could be Diaz in the highly anticipated trilogy bout.
