It would be safe to say that in the year since Conor McGregor lost to Floyd Mayweather in one of the highest-grossing boxing matches in history, the Irishman has been busy making headlines for his antics outside of the ring rather than in it.
Despite losing the fight, it's believed that McGregor still managed to pocket $75 million for the bout, which saw him swap the octagon of UFC for a boxing ring. However, since earning the cash, McGregor has been getting himself in plenty of trouble with a host of different people.
Whether it was the rumours of an affair with Rita Ora, a scrap with Irish gangsters or gate-crashing a UFC press conference and throwing heavy-duty items through a window of a bus, McGregor seems to have lost his way since making his millions.
And, due to his part in the latter incident, the Crumlin-born fighter has now appeared in court in New York. The 29-year-old, who was recently named as one of the highest-earning athletes on the planet, was arrested on charges of assault and criminal mischief before being released on a $50,000 bail bond.
Today marked his first appearance in front of a judge and jury and the UFC champion read out a short statement in the courtroom in which he expressed his regret over his actions and the legal troubles that have come after it.
The statement said:
"I regret my actions that led to today.
"I understand the seriousness of this matter and I'm hopeful this will get worked out. Thank you, everyone."
The video of the alleged incident was released shortly after it occurred and McGregor can be seen throwing stuff through the window of a bus that was carrying UFC fighters away from the press conference. Of the fighters that were set to appear at UFC 223 that weekend, Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were unable to make their fights due to injuries picked up by the smashed window.
The events are believed to have occurred due to a previous altercation between McGregor's stable mate Artem Lobov and fellow UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor's courtroom appearance only lasted around 45 seconds and in that time his team said that he intended to negotiate a plea before the session was dismissed.
It's believed that the fighter will now sit down with UFC boss Dana White to discuss a possible return to the sport. The meeting will take place at an undisclosed location and the pair will discuss the fighter's future with the company.
Speaking to TMZ, white said:
"I don't know whats gonna happen. I don't know what Conor has planned. I don't know what Conor and his team have worked on.
"Whatever happens tomorrow ... I will be as shocked as you."
It had been thought that McGregor wouldn't fight in the UFC, however, Khabib Nurmagomedov has said that he would be open to a fight. Speaking to the press after the alleged fracas, Khabib said:
"To be honest, I hope he is going to fix his problems.
"Me and him will have to fix our problem. Inside the cage or outside, it doesn't matter. We have to fix this."
Let's hope it happens.
