By Ethan Marchetti, Maroon-News Staff

I generally like when guys adopt the “villain” persona in sports. Players like Grayson Allen, Bryce Harper and Tom Brady highlight just a few on a long list of athletes that are pretty much universally hated by everyone except their respective fans.  

Conor McGregor has been the ultimate villain in the world of fighting, and that persona ultimately came to a head in the months leading up to the highly anticipated fight against undefeated Floyd Mayweather. McGregor was  cocky, outspoken and incredibly entertaining to watch and listen to. However, McGregor went completely off the rails at a UFC event last Saturday night.

Following a violent and destructive rampage, McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and one count of misdemeanor mischief.  Fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg suffered facial lacerations and corneal abrasions, respectively, from bus windows shattered by McGregor. 

Though his reason behind this is unclear, there has been speculation that McGregor was retaliating after fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov’s crew apparently beat up a friend of McGregor’s.

Nurmagomedov’s actions were certainly uncalled for, but McGregor’s overreaction was equally as unnecessary and just downright embarrassing. If McGregor really had a problem with Nurmagomedov,

perhaps he could have resolved the beef by challenging in the octagon.

Pulling a stunt like this, though, is childish, unprofessional and embarrassing to MMA. We as fans can only hope that athletes learn from this and do not throw their careers away over stupidity.

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By Jake Rosenstein, Maroon-News Staff

Irish UFC phenomenon Conor McGregor may have gotten himself into serious legal trouble with his latest stunt. Earlier this week, while McGregor was in Ireland, his close friend and MMA partner Artem Lobov was confronted and verbally assaulted by another UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov. This incident caused McGregor, fiercely loyal to his friend Artem, to jet across the Atlantic in order to deliver his brand of shamrock justice to the

alleged perpetrator.

McGregor, in what would be called a “bus attack” by the media, began to hurl objects at the bus that carried Khabib and dozens of other UFC fighters while leaving Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. 

While most sports drama is relegated to its respective arenas, this street fight involved the NYPD and likely the judicial arm of the legal system. Though no one is sure at the moment, Mystic Mac and his

devil-may-care persona may very well find himself behind bars.

President of the UFC Dana White has publicly condemned these attacks, stating that he no longer holds McGregor in good graces nor will he continue to be the poster boy for the UFC. 

I posit, however, that this incident falls under the platitude of “no such thing as bad publicity.” Dana White can feign disgust all the way to the bank, but he knows that this incident is great for ratings, especially if and when McGregor returns to the Octagon. 

The bus incident, while potentially dangerous for those involved, has brought the UFC to the front page of sports sections across the country. McGregor’s actions are excusable (a loyal friend is hard to come by). White’s insincere admonishment of McGregor, however, is the most questionable part of this entire incident. 

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By Theo Asher, National Sports Editor

As an American public, we love sports of aggression. Hundreds of millions of viewers tune in to the Super Bowl and megafights (á la Mayweather-McGregor), satiating our innermost desires to see two indivudals in the most primitive form of competition we as humans know. I love watching these spectacles – it allows my timid self to live vicariously through the physical attrition of stars like McGregor or J. J. Watt.

However, what occurred last week was a transcendence of this norm. McGregor’s vicious rampage at the Barclays Center, which left several unassuming bystanders legitimately injured, was beyond the physicality of sport we relish. I have never been an enthusiastic supporter of McGregor’s. However, I have a great deal of respect for what he has achieved in the octagon. I wouldn’t even argue with the statement that he is the best MMA athlete of all time.

That is why this incident digusts me so much. We have seen a handful of GOATs fall from grace for a variety of reasons (i.e. Barry Bonds, Tiger Woods), but this one is truly shocking. As Dana White said, “This is beyond fighting. This is criminal.”