The legal battle between Conor McGregor and Michael Chiesa continues to breathe life.
According to a new report by TMZ, Chiesa, who was forced out his UFC 223 bout with Anthony Pettis this past April following a bus attack by “Notorious,” is now looking to take all of the McGregor’s profits from UFC 229.
Per the report, Chiesa is calling McGregor’s Brooklyn bus attack a “pre-meditated publicity stunt.” In addition, Chiesa is now citing New York state’s “Son of Sam” law that says persons convicted of a crime aren’t able to profit commercially because of their crimes. That means that whatever money McGregor earned, including his massive UFC 229 payday, following his bus attack in Brooklyn would be called into question
Chiesa, who was forced out of his fight with Pettis due to lacerations on his face, still believes that McGregor’s actions in Brooklyn ultimately cost “Maverick” a title shot. That’s because Chiesa, would he have not gotten injured on the bus, could have filled in to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 for the vacant lightweight title.
Instead, with Chiesa out of the picture, Al Iaquinta eventually stepped in and lost to Khabib via unanimous decision, setting up the massive title fight between Khabib and McGregor this past October at UFC 229. That title fight, which drew a UFC record 2.4 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys, made McGregor millions.
Chiesa filed a lawsuit against McGregor for “assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress” earlier this year only to have McGregor file a motion to dismiss Chiesa’s case earlier this month, stating that Chiesa, a “seasoned combat fighter,” didn’t suffer any real emotional distress from the incident and should be used to physical trauma.
Chiesa, on the other hand, remains adamant that McGregor cost him more than just physical and emotional damages.
“My court case is about losing a title fight,” Chiesa said. “I literally had a golden opportunity ripped out from me because of (McGregor).”
While we don’t know for sure how this entire thing is going to play out, McGregor could stand to lose a ton of more cash should the court take Chiesa’s recent claim into consideration.
Stick with Mania for ongoing updates.
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