What was expected to be a normal pre-fight press conference for UFC 202 on Wednesday turned out to be an untoward episode. Moments after Nate Diaz stormed out of the stage, cans and bottles began flying through the air, signaling the abrupt end of the event.
For his part, McGregor maintains that he was merely defending himself, as he sat on stage "scared for his life." But according to UFC president Dana White, both men will be facing major consequences for what they have been involved in.
"They're both getting punished," White told TMZ. "What everybody's got to understand is we're overseen by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. I guarantee both of these guys are gonna get massive fines and there's probably going to be a hearing after the fight."
"There could be suspensions, community service, it's gonna be ugly."
"The word is in this thing somebody was injured so there's going to be a lawsuit. Who knows how it's all going to play out. Somebody's filing a lawsuit. The wheels are already in motion on it,"
Many have criticized the said incident for being "staged", with the aims of creating more hype to sell tickets. White merely dismissed such remarks as mere absurdities.
"It was 100-percent real. If you're going to come up with something staged, throwing cans and bottles in a public place is probably one of the dumbest things you could come up with," White said.
"It's going to cost them both a lot of money, a lot of headache and hassle. They're both in big trouble."