NEW YORK _ Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor offered an apology Thursday for instigating a Barclays Center melee as attorneys indicated a possible plea bargain was in the works.
The 29-year-old Irishman, nattily clad in a blue plaid suit and striped tie, stood silently as a judge continued his $50,000 bail in the bizarre case that started when a McGregor meltdown led to an assault on fellow fighters during a UFC media day event.
Plea negotiations were underway, with Assistant District Attorney Janet Gleason saying the case was not yet presented to a grand jury a sign of efforts to settle the case.
McGregor stood silently during the two-minute hearing before delivering a brief mea culpa outside the courthouse.
"I regret my actions that led to today," he said after the hearing as a crowd of media and gawkers flanked McGregor. "I understand the seriousness of this matter and I'm hopeful this will get worked out. Thank you everyone."
The fighter and his entourage rolled up to Brooklyn Supreme Court in a pair of black Cadillac Escalades. McGregor backer Robbie Fox held a cardboard sign reading "Free Conor" as the crew exited the courthouse.
"The U.S. judicial system is wasting his time," said Fox. "He didn't do anything wrong. If he did do anything wrong, who cares?"
McGregor was arrested after the April 5 dust-up where he allegedly imported a group of hooligans from Ireland to Brooklyn in a plot to attack the bus carrying UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov. The bad blood between the two festered in part because Nurmagomedov took over as UFC champ due to McGregor's inactivity.
McGregor faces felony criminal mischief and other charges for the retaliatory attack _ captured on videotape _ during a scheduled UFC media day.
