UFC News: Conor McGregor's Q&A show followed up with a mass brawl outside the venue
What’s the story?
UFC champion Conor McGregor held a live PPV Q&A event at Manchester in front of 5000 fans on January 28th, 2017. This event rivaled UFC’s Fight Night on FOX 23, held on the same night at Denver, Colorado. ‘The Notorious’ went on a rant before the event went live and dropped several F-bombs, going after the UFC, WWE, Boxing, Floyd and more.
I'm so made! Heading to do a Q and A in front of 5000 fans! You read that right. That's more than UFC attendance tonight. And it's on PPV at http://www.notoriouslive.co Fuck the UFC. Fuck Floyd. Fuck boxing. Fuck the WWE. Fuck Hollywood. And fuck you too pay me.
According to Manchester Evening News, a mass brawl broke out outside the venue after the event got over, which left several fans injured and hospitalized. By the time police officers showed up outside the venue, the brawl had stopped.
The police initially thought that the skirmish involved up to 100 people, but now have established that 15-20 people where involved in the incident. It has also been confirmed that three fans were hospitalized for treatment to their injuries.
As per the Manchester Evening News, Detective Inspector from Stretford Police said,
“There was a lot of confusion about what happened and how many people where involved in the fighting but we are clear now
that there were a maximum of around 20 people involved in the disorder. We are appealing for anyone who saw anything to get in touch as soon as possible. Behaviour like we saw last night is not acceptable and I am only thankful that there weren’t any more serious injuries.”
In case you didn’t know...
The UFC superstar Conor McGregor has redefined the promotion since his arrival to the UFC. He became the first person in the history of the UFC to hold two world titles in different weight divisions simultaneously. ‘The Notorious’ ascended to levels of fame and fortune unlike anything MMA has ever seen and has an MMA record of 21-3-0 (W-L-D).
McGregor is also linked to a potential boxing match against American boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and has even obtained a professional boxing license from the state of California.
The heart of the matter
Conor McGregor is the most prominent figure in the sport and draws huge crowds to any event he is linked with. He recently held a live PPV event which had 5000 fans in attendance and was also broadcast on his website. On the stage, he talked about his potential boxing match against Floyd Mayweather at length and UFC’s involvement regarding the cross-over fight. Among other things, he also hinted on a possible rubber match against Nate Diaz, maybe involving the Lightweight belt this time.
After the Q&A event was over at EventCity venue, a brawl broke outside involving 15-20 people, which left several fans with injuries. The police officers are currently investigating the incident.
What Next?
The Irishman is currently on a hiatus from the UFC, to welcome his first child with his long time girlfriend Dee Devlin. He also stated in his Q&A event, that he thinks the next time he will step into a combat arena will be through the ropes. This gives a clear indication that he is looking forward to making the mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather into reality.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Conor McGregor’s persona, his fighting style and his brash talking attract people in huge numbers to any public appearance he makes. His rise to superstardom in the sport has been meteoric, in just over two years ‘The Notorious’ has conquered the UFC. He is at a point where he is rivalling UFC events with his own and that too in grand fashion.
The McGregor brand name is at a all time high and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down even after his absence from the UFC. This shows that he is at a point in his career where he is possibly bigger than the franchise itself.