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What's the story?
Even though there was no official announcement, Conor McGregor was seemingly set to return to the Octagon at UFC 219 against Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson. However, after his indiscretion at Bellator 187, the Irishman was pulled from this bout, according to Mike Mazulli — the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
If McGregor were to receive a suspension of sorts, he would, in theory, be free to have a WWE match.
In case you didn't know...
Following his teammate Charlie Ward's victory at UFC 219, Conor McGregor jumped into the cage in celebration. In the ensuing fracas, the "Notorious" shoved referee Marc Goddard and slapped another official. Here is a video of the incident:
The heart of the matter
During an appearance on the MMA Hour, Mike Mazuli, the lead regulator of Bellator 187, praised the UFC for sanctioning Conor McGregor after his indiscretion.
"They already sanctioned him,” Mazzulli said. “So they did hit him. He’s not gonna be making any more money this year and I commend the UFC for that.”
However, Mazulli — who is also the Mohegan Sun Department of Athletic Regulation director — never explicitly said that he spoke to the UFC. Needless to say, he doesn't have the authority to penalise McGregor.
What's next?
As of this writing, Conor McGregor hasn't been sanctioned by an athletic commision. According to MMA Fighting.com, he still has a boxing license in Nevada and is probably still licensed in New York.
Author's take
Conor McGregor's actions at Bellator 187 were not acceptable, and he certainly needs to be disciplined. John Redmond, Charlie Ward's opponent, had just been knocked out and was momentarily deprived of medical attention due to the fiasco that followed McGregor jumping in the cage. The actions of any external party that could put a fighter's safety in jeopardy shouldn't be tolerated.
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