ANAHEIM, Calif. – At this point, you’ve likely seen Conor McGregor punching a bar patron back in April after video of the incident surfaced Thursday. Anthony Pettis has, too, and he wonders exactly what happened.
The unverified story goes that McGregor purchased shots of his Proper Twelve whiskey for attendees in a Dublin pub. One elderly man objected to accepting the drink, and footage shows “The Notorious” striking him in the face with a left hand.
There’s an ongoing investigation into the situation in Ireland, according to police, and Pettis (22-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) wonders exactly what was said that generated such a reaction from McGregor.
“It was crazy, but who knows what that dude said?” Pettis told MMA Junkie at UFC 241 media day. “I’m sure something was said for him to do that. He’s not going to punch somebody in the face for no reason.”
Pettis, who claims he was offered a matchup with fellow former UFC lightweight champ McGregor at UFC 244 in November before it failed to materialize, is scheduled to fight Nate Diaz in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 241 at Honda Center.
Earlier this week, Pettis’ head coach, Duke Roufus, said they believe a victory over Diaz could potentially lure McGregor back to the octagon after competing in MMA just twice since November 2016.
Whether the latest incident involving McGregor hinders his fighting career – or serves as a sign that he may never return – is not of much concern to “Showtime.” Pettis said a matchup with McGregor would be fun, but he’s by no means waiting around for it.
“That’s another fan favorite fight,” Pettis said. “I’m not going to sit here and wait for Conor McGregor and call him out or anything. If he wants to fight and he wants to fight me, send the contract and I’ll be there.”
