Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight titleholder, Conor McGregor, was able to avoid jail time after reaching a plea deal with Brooklyn prosecutors on Thursday (July 26, 2018), and will instead pay restitution and attend anger management classes, along with community service.
Our full report on those proceedings right here.
“I just want to say I’m thankful to the DA and the judge for allowing me to move forward,” a relived McGregor told the media. “I want to say to my friends, my family, my fans, thank you for the support. Thank you.”
This clears the way for McGregor to make his Octagon return later this year, presumably against current 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, though a bout of that magnitude is unlikely to take place until the end of the year.
“Now that this has passed us, we can focus on things that have been on hold for some time,” manager Audie Attar said (via MMA Fighting). “Conor’s been training, he’s in shape, he’s ready to go. So now it’s just about getting back to business, and we hope to have some news to announce very soon.”
McGregor has been sidelined ever since last April’s arrest, which came in the wake of his UFC 223 pre-fight meltdown that left a bus damaged and a couple of fighters injured. What punishment he faces from UFC, if any, remains to be seen.