Showtime releases statement over Conor McGregor mic controversy in Los Angeles

It was one of the most controversial aspects of the first stop of the Mayweather vs. McGregor World Tour. Conor McGregor’s microphone stopped working on stage at Los Angeles’ Staples Center right around the time he started joking about Floyd Mayweather’s tax troubles, then never came back on for the duration of the press conference.

Not only could McGregor be seen tapping on his mic to see if it was working, but when UFC president Dana White handed him his mic instead, that one, too, wasn’t working, all while Mayweather's mic remained fully functional.

The UFC lightweight champion left no doubt about what he thought happen in his media scrum after the event, as McGregor emphatically stated “F*uck Showtime. F*ck them all."

For their part, Showtime has issued an official statement denying they had anything to do with McGregor’s mic cutting out. Showtime Sports vice president Stephen Espinoza issued the following statement Wednesday:

“At no point did Showtime or event productions cut any microphones intentionally during Tuesday’s kickoff event in Los Angeles. The point of this world tour is to let these superstars interact with the fans and with each other. Cutting their mics would go against our goal of delivering these fighters to the masses and letting their charismatic and entertaining personalities take center stage.”