Nothing’s ever simple where Conor McGregor is concerned, and it appears his latest fight at UFC 205 will be no different – if it goes ahead at all.
The Notorious is scheduled to fight Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title at Madison Square Garden on November 12, but there’s one potential problem on the horizon: he hasn’t yet applied for a licence.
And that process is by no means open and shut given the 28-year-old has a $75,000 fine outstanding from the Nevada Athletic Commission after his bottle-throwing antics at an August press conference in Las Vegas before his fight with Nate Diaz.
Could the New York State Athletic Commission, the board that grants licences for fights in the Empire State, bar McGregor from his Madison Square Garden appointment if he doesn’t pay his fine?
A statement from the commission read: “Conor McGregor has not yet completed his application to the New York State Athletic Commission for a licence, nor, to our knowledge, has he agreed to the fine levied by Nevada or exercised an appeal.
“It is also our understanding that the time within which Mr McGregor may seek a legal challenge to the Nevada Order has not yet expired.
“An administrative fine without a concurrent suspension is not a mandatory bar to licensure.
I rule this game with an iron fist. Nobody is safe. pic.twitter.com/nzVO8OD8Ex
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 21, 2016
“The New York State Athletic Commission expects its licensees to resolve disciplinary actions and comply with lawful final orders issued by the states in which they have chosen to compete, and will be closely monitoring this matter.”
McGregor has previously suggested he wouldn’t pay the Nevada fine, saying in an interview with Rolling Stone: “It is what it is. Good luck trying to get it.”
New York only legalised mixed martial arts earlier this year, making it the last US state to do so.
The NYSAC hasn’t yet had much to do with the sport, so it’s difficult to know exactly how it will react should McGregor continue not to pay his fine in Nevada.
But reading between the lines of the statement, it seems the simplest solution all round would be for McGregor to appeal against the NAC’s decision.
Then everyone can save face, the NYSAC can grant the licence without issue, the fight can go ahead and everyone can worry about this another time.
In the meantime, like the NYSAC, we’ll be “closely monitoring this matter”.
