Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor made a brief appearance in court on Thursday, to address charges related to a backstage melee ahead of UFC 223 at the Barclays Center in April.
Video footage from the incident showed McGregor appearing to hurl a sack trolley at a bus full of UFC fighters after a news conference. Two fighters were hurt in the incident and were ultimately unable to compete that weekend.
McGregor was arrested after the incident by the New York City Police Department and was released from custody on $50k bail after a brief arraignment on assault and criminal mischief charges.
On Thursday he returned to New York, making a 45-second appearance while his legal team informed the court that they plan to negotiate a plea.
The session was then quickly dismissed, with both McGregor and his co-defendant Cian Cowley instructed to return for another hearing on 26 July, when they will be expected to enter their actual plea.
After the brief hearing, McGregor appeared outside the court and said he regretted his actions.
“I regret my actions that led to today,” he said. “I understand the seriousness of this matter and I’m hopeful this will get worked out. Thank you, everyone.”
McGregor has not fought since 26 August 2017, when he made his professional boxing debut in a 10th round stoppage loss to five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather.
The Irishman last appeared inside the Octagon in November 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become the first man in UFC history to simultaneously hold belts in two weight divisions.
