Conor McGregor avoided jail time for his 2022 driving incident.
In March of 2022, McGregor was arrested and had his car seized after being stopped for dangerous driving in his home country of Ireland, where the former two division UFC champion reportedly ran a red light, and sped through traffic, nearly causing a collision.
But on Wednesday, “Notorious” managed to settle the matter with authorities, per the Irish Mirror, accepting a five-month suspended sentence on the condition that McGregor pays a €5,000 fine and keeps the peace for two years.
McGregor also received a two-year driving ban. McGregor also faced several other charges stemming from the incident, including driving without insurance and driving without a license, but those charges were withdrawn after McGregor successfully produced the necessary documents.
This is far from McGregor’s first driving incident. Back in 2018 “Notorious” received a six-month driving ban and a $ 1,000 fine for speeding, where it was revealed McGregor has numerous other motor convictions on his record as well.
Per the report, McGregor’s previous convictions were “noteworthy, to say the least,” to judge David McHugh and led him to consider “an outright prison sentence” for the Irish superstar’s “appalling series of breaches of the road traffic rules and an appalling episode of dangerous driving.” Ultimately, McGregor’s counsel convinced Judge McHugh to avail the court of other options.
McGregor most recently competed at UFC 264 back in 2021 where he shattered his leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. “Notorious” was supposed to make his long-awaited return to the cage earlier this year as the main event of UFC 303, but a toe injury forced him out of the card. Now McGregor is targeting a return before the end of the year.
Love him or hate him, Sean Strickland is anything but weak minded. Despite being viciously knocked out by Alex Pereira at UFC 276 two years ago, Strickland was still willing to exchange leather with the Brazilian during a recent sparring session.
‘Tarzan’ is likely within touching distance of a title shot at middleweight and has no concerns with sitting on the sidelines until he is granted one. He has won in four of his last five appearances inside the octagon, most recently beating Paulo Costa via split decision on June 1.
As he looks to improve his game ahead of a potential future title shot, Sean Strickland rocked up to Alex Pereira’s gym. The pair shared a joke or two before getting to work.
The former foes traded shots in a 6-minute sparring session, with clean strikes being landed on both sides.
Alongside their spar, they took turns working the punching bag.
It is common for Strickland to go out of his way to spar everyone, no matter if they’re at the pinnacle of combat sports or a measly social media influencer. This time, it was with one of the most dangerous knockout artists in the world — though thankfully, nobody was knocked out.
Watch Strickland and Pereira’s training session video below.
Related: Dana White open to Jake Paul vs. Alex Pereira boxing match?
Sean Strickland lashes out at Harley Davidson
While it may be controversial at times, Sean Strickland is known to speak his mind.
He did just that after being alerted to Harley Davidson’s allegiance to popular musician Machine Gun Kelly.
Strickland is a big motorcycle enthusiast but now wants to sell his Harley Davidson bike after they promoted MGK on their social media earlier this week.
The UFC star ranted about his love for bikes but his disdain for the ‘woke’. This put him at a crossroads, not knowing whether to sell his motorcycle and be true to his own beliefs or not.
This weekend (Sat., Aug. 3, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventures forth to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for UFC Abu Dhabi. The non-PPV events in recent weeks have been missing a little something, but this card is a clear exception. Cory Sandhagen is about as battle-tested as contenders come at 135-pounds, while Umar Nurmagomedov might just be the next champion to come from Dagestan — it’s a great main event! Better yet, the rest of the main card fights are highly intriguing and likely to be very fun, which is a great combination.
Let’s dig into all the main card fights leading up to the co-main event:
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Bantamweight: Marlon Vera(+145) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo(-175)
Best Win for Vera? Sean O’Malley For Figueiredo? Brandon Moreno Current Streak: Vera lost his last bout, while Figueiredo has won two in a row since moving to 135-pounds X-Factor: Vera was absolutely demolished in his last fight How these two match up: I have high expectations for a full-on Bantamweight banger.
Look at those betting odds and tell me public belief in Vera isn’t at an all-time low currently. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you play the role of punching bag in a UFC title fight. Vera is incredibly tough and viciously opportunistic, but fight fans are a little fed up with his reactive style.
Figueiredo, meanwhile, has been performing really well as a Bantamweight! The former Flyweight king is still hitting with a ton of power, and his wrestling has held up very well against bigger opponents. He’s quickly marching up the ladder and could be just a couple fights from a title shot.
I’m a little torn here. On one hand, it’s been a few fights since Vera has looked particularly good in the Octagon. At the same time, Figueiredo is 36 years of age, and I’m not sold on the idea of “Daico” as a genuine title threat in his new division. There’s also the issue that Figueiredo usually wins via finish, while Vera is functionally immortal.
Ultimately, the fact that this fight is 15 minutes rather than 25 has me siding with the Brazilian. Between his power punches and takedowns, it feels likely that Figueiredo can snag at least two of the three rounds. If Vera does rally late, well, Figueiredo is at least plenty comfortable in a dogfight.
Prediction: Figueiredo via decision
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Welterweight: Tony Ferguson(+470) vs. Michael Chiesa(-650)
Best Win for Ferguson? Rafael dos Anjos For Chiesa? Beneil Dariush Current Streak: Ferguson has lost a record seven in a row, while Chiesa has lost his last three X-Factor: Ferguson is shot How these two match up: It probably won’t be boring, but I’m not looking forward to this one and will keep the prediction short.
Ferguson was one of the best Lightweights of all time. Nearly a natural force of creative violence, Ferguson broke elite opposition with scary consistency, battering opponents into bloody pulps. Alas, that was many years and many bad losses ago. Chiesa, meanwhile, has also looked rather ineffective in his current losing streak, but at least he’s still in good athletic form and was getting beaten up by top talent.
I don’t get why we’re booking Ferguson anymore, let alone at Welterweight. If he has to fight again in the Octagon, he should be booked against some other aging, unranked Lightweight who is barely on the roster. He’s never been big enough for 170-pounds, and Chiesa was ranked not that long ago.
Nobody would be happier than me if I’m wrong, but all logic suggests “The Maverick” dominates on the floor to an eventual strangle.
Prediction: Chiesa via submission
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Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern(-125) vs. Loopy Godinez(+105)
Best Win for Dern? Virna Jandiroba For Goodinez? Tabatha Ricci Current Streak: Dern has lost two straight, while Goodinez lost her last bout X-Factor: Dern took a lot of damage in her last two fights How these two match up: I’m expecting a bit of chaos.
Dern’s approach to fighting has ebbed and flowed, but her overall issue remains the same: she has the best jiu-jitsu in the division but has no way to consistently use it against top competition. She recently returned to her boxing coach, Jason Parillo, so perhaps that will help shore up her hands once more, but wrestling remains an area in need of development.
Godinez has almost the exact opposite issue. She’s quite technical everywhere, but the Mexican talent doesn’t really have one standout issue. In her defeats, more specialist opponents have been able to force her to fight in their preferred skill set.
This is a good match up, and I expect Godinez to win a majority of the exchanges. Is that enough to win the fight though? Dern is so much more dangerous, a much more severe finishing threat. Godinez might do great work for four minutes then end up fighting off deep submissions for the final 60 seconds and still lose the round … if not her arm.
Ultimately, it takes a pretty elite, Top Five opponent to defeat Dern, and even then it’s not guaranteed. Returning to Parillo was a necessary step, but even without that vote of confidence, Godinez is just a much less threatening hitter than Amanda Lemos or Jessica Andrade.
At some point, Dern’s jiu-jitsu excellence will come into play, and she’ll absolute take over when that happens.
Prediction: Dern via decision
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Lightweight: Joel Alvarez(-162) vs. Elves Brener(+135)
Best Win for Alvarez? Thiago Moises For Brener? Guram Kutateladze Current Streak: Alvarez won his last bout, whereas Brener suffered his first UFC defeat X-Factor: Will Alvarez make weight? How these two match up: Inject this match up straight into my veins.
Alvarez doesn’t fight terribly often, but it’s always must-watch stuff when he’s in the Octagon. The massive Spanish Lightweight hits very hard and strikes in creative fashion, and he’s quite excellent at snatching submissions from failed takedown attempts. What’s so fun here is that Brener is also a knockout artist and submissions fighter himself! Wrestling is the weakest aspect for both, while brutalizing their opposition in opportunistic moments is a shared strength.
The big question to me in this fight is whether or not Alvarez can finish his opponent. Early on, he’s such a monster because of that size advantage and his aggressive style. Brener is not a defensive wizard or evasive fighter, meaning he’s probably going to throw down with Alvarez right away and lose those exchanges.
Does he lose them badly enough to get stopped? If not, Brener is primed for a rally in the second half of the fight. Alvarez is accustomed to quick finishes, and there’s probably a reason he’s never won a decision in his pro career. The combination of a huge weight cut and pedal-to-the-floor fighting style means that Alvarez isn’t built to succeed in the late rounds.
Brener is durable and vicious for all 15 minutes. If he makes it to the third, he’ll pay back Alvarez for every shot “El Fenómeno” landed early on, it’s just a question of making it that deep into the fight.
I think the Brazilian can do it. He’s never been finished, and between the two, he’s the better wrestler. A brief takedown might help him survive a hairy moment or two, and once the momentum does shift to his side, he’ll capitalize violently.
The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.
With Ariel Helwani in Paris, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks host the episode and look ahead at the UFC Abu Dhabi card on Saturday headlined by Cory Sandhagen against Umar Nurmagomedov, plus answer your questions in a special segment of On the Nose plus much more.
For latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
Former two-division UFC champion and mixed martial arts fighter, Conor McGregor has been handed a five-month suspended sentence as well as a two-year disqualification from driving – after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous driving, as well as a further count of careless driving in Dublin this morning.
McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight champion and featherweight gold holder under the banner of the UFC, has been out of competition since 2021, most recently fracturing his left tibia and fibula in an opening round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to former interim champion, Dustin Poirier.
And expected to make his return to fighting last month in the main event of UFC 303 during International Fight Week, McGregor was forced from a welterweight fight against Michael Chandler, after fracturing a toe on his left foot.
Mandatory Credit: Jose Penuela
Expecting to make a comeback to fighting at the end of the annum, McGregor, 36, has been heavily linked with a return at UFC 310 in December, on the promotion’s final pay-per-view card of the year, in a rescheduled fight against Missouri-born veteran, Chandler.
Conor McGregor disqualified from driving for 2 years
Appearing at Blanchardstown District Court today in his native Dublin, McGregor saw a second count of dangerous driving which he was charged with ultimately withdrawn, however, pleaded guilty to charges of both dangerous driving and careless driving. (H/T Newstalk)
#BREAKING: Conor McGregor has been handed a five-month suspended sentence and disqualified from driving for two years.https://t.co/4K2PGBcyfy
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) July 31, 2024
As a result, McGregor was handed a five-month suspended sentence and was disqualified from driving for two years.
Earlier this year, Conor McGregor hit the headlines once more after he claimed he would bid to purchase bitter fighting rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s family home in Dagestan, after the former undisputed lightweight champion saw proceedings initiated against him by the FTS (Federal Tax Services) in his native Russia.
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen saw some of his ex-rival Jon Jones in the performance of lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett this past weekend.
Pimblett recorded the biggest win of his Octagon career at the UFC 304 pay-per-view, getting the better of King Green on the main card to secure a ranking for the very first time.
“The Baddy” entered the Octagon in front of his home fans at Manchester’s Co-op Live as an underdog and with many backing Green to stall his charge following a close decision against Jared Gordon and failure to finish Tony Ferguson.
But the Liverpool native needed just one round to prove them wrong, capitalizing on an ill-advised takedown to lock in a triangle choke and render Green unconscious.
Among those majorly impressed by Pimblett’s efforts was Sonnen, who even compared his ability in the fight to an all-time great…
Sonnen Praises Pimblett For Dealing With ‘Street Fighter’ Green
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on Pimblett’s successful outing on home soil this past weekend.
More so than the submission finish, “The American Gangster” was impressed by how “The Baddy” combatted a style and approach he won’t have faced in any previous fights or behind closed doors in training.
The ability to do so, Sonnen says, is something Pimblett shares with the consensus greatest of all time, Jon Jones.
“(Green) fights like a street fighter. He’s got his hands down; you don’t know what he’s gonna do. He’s talking to you! It’s like two guys outside a liquor store, truly,” Sonnen said. “You know what? Paddy was dealing with it. It’s hard to deal with ’cause you can’t prepare for it; you can’t prepare for it because your teammates don’t show up drunk talking trash with their hands down.
“Paddy was dealing with it. That is a Jon Jones-esque ability. Jon Jones is the king of fighting fighters that all he has to prepare is video tape,” Sonnen continued. “He’s got some weird guy that’s some kind of a tool that he has to deal with, and Jon doesn’t bring in the partners and doesn’t have the experience, but he watched him on tape and he came up with a plan because he knows the sport well enough. That’s what Paddy just did.”
Having caught the eyes of the likes of Sonnen with his latest triumph inside the Octagon, Pimblett will look to continue his development and habit of proving his detractors wrong next time out.
By all accounts, the Liverpool native will be looking to stake his claim for a spot inside the top 10, having secured the #15 spot in the division as it stands. And given his post-fight callout at UFC 304, he’ll have a close eye on Renato Moicano and Benoît Saint Denis’ upcoming battle in Paris.
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Read More: Paddy Pimblett Acknowledges Alternative Option To Renato Moicano For Next Fight After UFC 304: ‘If He Wants His Head Punching In…’
Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Praises Paddy Pimblett For Displaying ‘Jon Jones-esque’ Ability At UFC 304 at MMA News.
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