Referee Marc Goddard speaks out after McGregor incident at Bellator 187
Referee Marc Goddard took to Twitter on Saturday following an incident with Conor McGregor at Bellator 187 in Dublin.
McGregor leaped over the cage fence to celebrate a teammate's win, and the situation quickly escalated from there. Goddard and other security attempted to get the Irishman to leave before McGregor went after Goddard, shoving him in the back and igniting mayhem.
Watch: McGregor jumps cage, confronts referee, slaps official at Bellator 187
Goddard didn't mention McGregor by name, maintaining the level-headed approach he's known for inside the cage:
I operate with integrity, belief and values.
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) November 11, 2017
I hold MMA in a deep rooted place in my life and have considered myself most fortunate to have done so for so long.
Family first. Everything else second.
Respect.
Mike Mazzulli, the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports - which was the head regulator at Bellator 187 - also commented on McGregor's actions in a statement Saturday. Mazzulli wrote how he "jeopardized" the health of the fighters and "assaulted" Goddard and another Bellator staff member, according to MMAfighting.com's Marc Raimondi.
While the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) was regulating Bellator 187 in Dublin, Ireland, on November 10, 2017, the following events took place during the Ward vs Redmond bout.
Mr. Conor McGregor who was a spectator at the time, disrupted the event by scaling the cage prior to the conclusion of the bout. Mr. McGregor’s conduct jeopardized the health and safety of the bout participants by delaying necessary medical attention to the fighters that were injured during the round.
In addition, Mr. McGregor assaulted Referee Mark Goddard and a Bellator staff.
The MTDAR has been in consultation with the upper management of the UFC regarding Mr. McGregor’s inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.
The MTDAR has also contacted members of the Association of Boxing Commissioners that have licensed Mr. McGregor in their jurisdictions to inform them of Mr. McGregor’s behavior.
Mazzulli told Raimondi that any sanction leveled at McGregor would have to come from a commission that licenses the UFC lightweight champion.