The crazy scene that erupted in August at the UFC 202 promotional press conference, which was abruptly halted after Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz began hurling drinks at each other, likely helped the event reach one of the highest pay-per-view figures in the company’s history. That resulted in a sizable paycheck for McGregor, but on Monday, the Irishman’s wallet got a little lighter after the Nevada State Athletic Commission fined him $150,000 for his role in the melee.
That was INSANE!!!@TheNotoriousMMA hurls bottles at @NateDiaz209 as total CHAOS breaks out at the #UFC202 Presser. https://t.co/YQ9c1dBpfJ
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 17, 2016
The fine represented five percent of McGregor’s $3 million purse for the Las Vegas fight, in which he avenged a previous loss to Diaz at UFC 196 in March. McGregor was also was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and participate in an anti-bullying video on behalf of the commission.
The NSAC cited the potential danger of McGregor hurling full cans of Monster energy drink at Diaz and his entourage, which included a young boy. For his part, Diaz incited the exchange by throwing a bottle of water at his antagonist and may face his own punishment.
“I just want to apologize for the incident,” McGregor told the commission by phone from Ireland (via MMA Fighting), where he is training for a matchup with lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November. “… I just acted wrong, and all I can say is I’m sorry and I will learn from this. … This fight had everything on the line for me. This was the highest stakes fight I’d ever been in. I was in a different mindset. So all I can do is learn from it and learn to handle myself better if I find myself in a situation like that.”
McGregor added, “I just want to own up and apologize for my part and say that it will not happen in the future. That’s really all I can say.” However, the featherweight champion was back to displaying his usual bravado later on Monday on Twitter.
I get fined more than these bums get paid
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 10, 2016
At the hearing, an attorney for McGregor argued that his client should not be given a suspension that would keep him from facing Alvarez at UFC 205, set to be the MMA company’s first-ever event at Madison Square Garden. A pair of commissioners pushed for a $300,000 fine before the body decided on the lesser amount.