DUBLIN, Ireland — Conor McGregor jumped the cage fence to celebrate with his teammate Charlie Ward after he dispatched John Redmond in the final seconds of the first round at Bellator 187 in Dublin on Friday night.
Immediately after the fight was called off, McGregor, who was not a licensed cornerman, excitedly jumped in the cage to celebrate with Ward. Referee Marc Goddard, who has a history with McGregor, immediately told him to leave the cage, which appeared to upset the UFC star.
McGregor, who seemed to take exception with Goddard telling him to leave and touching his chest, then shouted back at Goddard and eventually shoved Goddard as the referee was checking on Redmond, who was still kneeling on the mat. Goddard did not shove McGregor back. Moments later, McGregor was escorted out and left the cage on his own.
Goddard is the same official who ordered McGregor to leave cageside as he cheered on Artem Lobov on at UFC Gdansk.
When McGregor initially left the cage, he turned around and ran back into the enclosure shouting “that was a f*cking stoppage” before he was again asked to leave.
After his final exit from the cage, he did a lap around the stage waving to the fans in attendance.
Another video obtained by TMZ shows McGregor slapping a Bellator staffer while he was trying to get back in the cage.
Later Friday evening, Bellator released a statement regarding McGregor striking one of its employees, Mike Johnson.
“We’re aware of the in-cage altercation involving Conor McGregor and a Bellator staff member,” the statement, via spokesperson Ryan Grab, read. “Viacom and Bellator hold the safety and well-being of our staff in the highest regard and we’re currently reviewing the situation.”
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