Conor McGregor sued by fellow UFC fighter over Brooklyn bus attack

11 Sep, 2018 15:08

Conor McGregor is being sued by fellow UFC fighter Michael Chiesa over the Irish star's role in an attack on a bus in Brooklyn earlier this year, according to reports.

Chiesa, 30, sustained cuts to his face when McGregor attacked a bus transporting the fighter and other competitors in the lead-up to UFC 223 at the Barclays Center in April.

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The injuries forced Chiesa to withdraw from his lightweight bout against Anthony Pettis, and he has now filed a lawsuit against McGregor seeking damages, according to USA Today.

The lawsuit, submitted on Monday, claims that McGregor’s outburst led to economic loss and physical and mental distress for Chiesa, as well as listing the Barclay's Center as a defendant, accusing the arena of failing to "engage in proper security measures to protect the plaintiff."

Chiesa did finally fight Pettis at UFC 226 in July, losing to his fellow American fighter via a second-round submission.

Chiesa has previously accused McGregor of costing him a shot at the lightweight title, claiming he would have stepped in to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, after numerous rivals were forced to pull out of the match-up against the Russian. 

In the event, Nurmagomedov won the lightweight belt by defeating Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision. 

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McGregor, 30, was charged over the incident but avoided jail time and a criminal record after accepting a plea deal in July.

In the attack on the bus, he appeared to be targeting Nurmagomedov, after being angered by a clash between the Russian fighter and the Irishman’s training partner, Artem Lobov, earlier that week.      

McGregor makes his MMA comeback against Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 at the T-Mobile Arena on October 6, when the pair meet for the Russian’s lightweight belt.

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The bout has been touted as the biggest ever in the promotion’s history, with UFC Dana White saying it could see a record 2 million pay-per-view purchases.