McGregor: Nevada not in my 'foreseeable future'
Conor McGregor won't be plying his trade in the fight capital of the world anytime soon.
A Monday hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission ended in costly fashion for McGregor when they decided to fine the fighter $150,000 in addition to 50 hours of community service for his part in a chaotic press conference in August. That event climaxed with McGregor and rival Nate Diaz throwing water bottles and cans at each other across a room packed with media members and fans.
UFC president Dana White said that McGregor wouldn't want to fight in Nevada again after that, and "The Notorious" confirmed those statements in an interview with Rolling Stone's Mike Bohn.
"I don't see Nevada in my future, for the foreseeable future is how I see it," McGregor said. "I'm free to do what I want. … I'm good. I'm good. New York, New York. That's what I think."
Five of McGregor's past six bouts have taken place in Las Vegas, with the featherweight champion drawing increasingly massive numbers in both ticket sales and PPV buys. With his next fight taking place at Madison Square Garden, he is content to stay away from The Strip for the time being.
McGregor expressed no ill will towards Diaz for throwing the first bottle and kicking off the incident that has them both facing sanctions. He said that he doesn't want to see Diaz get "any more or any less" punishment than his own.
As for his feelings towards the NSAC, McGregor doesn't appear to be taking it personally. Instead, he gave them credit for manipulating the situation in a way that was most advantageous for them.
"Respect to them," McGregor said. "They wanted me to pay them and work for them at the same time. How can I not respect that? Good luck to them."
That said, McGregor was disappointed that the effort he took to call in and explain his side of the story seemed to go unappreciated by the NSAC. In fact, the fine ballooned to $150,000 after McGregor's testimony from the $25,000 amount initially proposed by the attorney general's office.
McGregor would like to see the commission put in the same effort to enforce his punishment when the time comes to collect.
"Are they going to come and arrest me or what the f--- is that?" McGregor said. "I wanted to give them the respect and I felt they would have respected that but they didn't. So, whatever. It is what it is. Good luck trying to get it."
McGregor challenges Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in New York City.