Conor McGregor's actions at Bellator 187 cannot go unpunished.
The only reason why there's any doubt over whether a fighter will get punished for
leaping into a cage, shoving a referee and
slapping an employee in the face is because that fighter's name happens to be Conor McGregor.
If any other UFC fighter had done what McGregor did in the 3Arena on Friday night, a lengthy suspension would be a given. It would be assumed that the athletic commissions would come down hard on anyone else who behaved in that manner.
Having broken the rules that everyone must adhere to, McGregor must face the consequences. However, this is a somewhat uncharted territory, so the actions of the athletic commissions should tell us a lot about the landscape of the sport.
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Mike Mazzulli, president of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) which oversaw Bellator 187 condemned McGregor's actions in a statement released on Saturday. He explained that the MTDAR had been in contact with the UFC, and
members of the Association of Boxing Commissioners that have licensed McGregor, about his actions.
Punishing McGregor is likely outside of the MTDAR’s jurisdiction since he wasn't licensed by them when he leapt into the cage, so any penalties would have to come from a commission that regulates and licenses him for any future fights.
It's worth noting that fighters have been handed hefty punishments for far tamer incidents involving officials. For example, former UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson was issued a nine-month suspension by the Brazilian Superior Justice Court of MMA for nudging referee John McCarthy at UFC Fight Night 95.
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In 2014, Jason High was handed a one-year suspension by the New Mexico State Athletic Commission for pushing referee Kevin Mulhall after his second-round TKO loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 42.
UFC president Dana White cut High from the promotion, passionately declaring,
"You don't ever, ever fucking touch a referee; ever."
While the UFC will undoubtedly be unhappy about how McGregor represented the company and inadvertently promoted a rival organisation, they are expected to wait and see what the commissions may or may not do.
