The UFC is “incredibly” disappointed with lightweight fighter Conor McGregor said Lawrence Epstein, COO of the sporting body.
“We’ve come so far in legitimizing the sport and growing our business,” the exec told Cheddar in an in interview Friday. “[His behavior] is just not representative of who we are.”
McGregor was arrested Thursday for an altercation in Brooklyn where he attacked a bus full of fellow UFC fighters, injuring two of them.
“The first thing that’s got to happen is a criminal investigation,” Epstein said. Once that is over, the UFC will decide what to do internally and the option of kicking the fighter out of the UFC is not off the table, he said.
McGregor is known for his flamboyant and provocative antics. For example, he swiped Floyd Mayweather Jr. with racist and demeaning slurs ahead of their highly anticipated UFC-boxing crossover match last year.
The league, which celebrated its 25th anniversary Friday, hosts UFC 223 Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Since its inception, it’s [evolved](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-the-ufc-has-changed-over-its-25-year-history) from being a “very spectacle-oriented, niche, U.S.-centric sport to...a truly global brand,” said Epstein.
He added that the body has worked very hard at making it a safe and regulated space with no tolerance for fighters like McGregor.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/cheddar-steps-into-the-octagon-with-ufc).
The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is around the corner. The race starts January 25th and goes until the 28th. To celebrate the upcoming race, Acura Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves and IMSA President Scott Atherton rang the NYSE Closing Bell and stopped by Cheddar to explore the work that has gone into this competition.
In this week's episode of The Crypto Craze Cheddar Anchors Brad Smith and Baker Machado explain the biggest trends in the market. Cable and satellite entertainment company Starz filed a petition, asking the FCC to step in to resolve a fight with Altice. Facebook announces an update to its news policy. Amazon is increasing its prices.
To get you in the Super Bowl spirit PepsiCo is rolling out advertisements to gear up for the game. Greg Lyons, CMO of Pepsi Beverage, and Jen Saenz, CMO of Frito-Lay explain the messages behind the company's iconic ads this season.
On VF Hive: We’re joined by the crew from Vanity Fair's Hive to discuss Bannon's Mueller investigation subpoena. On Between Bells: Winter Olympics diplomacy, and Ellen Pompeo's payday. With New York Magazine, Latina Magazine, and FHM.
North Korea and South Korea shocked the world by announcing plans to march under a unified flag at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. FHM's Nick Dimengo joins Cheddar to discuss whether the news will increase interest in the games.
The former Yankees star founded "The Players' Tribune" in 2014 as a way for athletes to tell their stories the way they want them to be told. The CEO says Facebook's changes only help get their story out there.
What's better than reading in-depth news about your favorite athletes, perhaps getting that news straight from the players' pen or mouth? "The Players' Tribune" is a sports media company started by Derek Jeter back in 2014. Since then, TPT has grown into video, continued to break news, and builds recognition in the sports space.
VICIS CEO Dave Marver discusses the Zero1 helmet, rated by the NFL as the safest ever made. Marver explains what makes the helmet different and what's next for the company.
People have compared trading on the stock market to playing a sport. You need to know the players, when to make your move, and how to win. So why not follow the sports industry and sports business like how you follow the stock market news? Corey Leff thinks you should. That is why he started "John Wall Street," a newsletter that covers the ins and outs of the sports industry.
Najee Goode is both a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles and a design engineer for the app VEEPIO. The Super Bowl hopeful joins Cheddar to explain what the Eagles need to do to win on Sunday and why VEEPIO is helping fans be more engaged.
