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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

McGregor raises a chair to UFC’s turn in its New York debut

Conor McGregor, center, reacts after taking his opponent Eddie Alvarez's title from a table to put it on his side during a news conference ahead of the UFC 205 mixed martial arts fights, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York as UFC president Dana White, left, and fighter Stephen Thompson, right, react. McGregor and Alvarez will fight each other while Thompson will fight Tyron Woodley on Saturday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Conor McGregor, center, reacts after taking his opponent Eddie Alvarez's title from a table to put it on his side during a news conference ahead of the UFC 205 mixed martial arts fights, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York as UFC president Dana White, left, and fighter Stephen Thompson, right, react. McGregor and Alvarez will fight each other while Thompson will fight Tyron Woodley on Saturday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NEW YORK (AP) – Conor McGregor looked he may have strolled straight off a New York fashion show catwalk in his white Gucci mink coat as he raised a steel chair high over his head and took aim on Eddie Alvarez’s skull.

UFC President Dana White interjected and snatched the top of the chair before McGregor clocked his UFC 205 main event foe. McGregor could only smirk as he asked a frothing crowd at Madison Square Garden how much a chair shot would cost him in a fine.

McGregor was once docked $150,000 for tossing a water bottle at a press conference. He could keep the cash this time – McGregor had his eyes and hands on Alvarez’s lightweight championship belt. McGregor was tardy to Thursday’s press conference – hey, New York only waited more than two decades for a UFC debut, so what’s 15 more minutes – and Alvarez had stormed off waiting for the challenger to show up. McGregor arrived quite fashionably late, skipped across the stage, and promptly swiped the belt Alvarez had left behind at the podium.

“This is what confidence looks like,” McGregor said as thousands of fans erupted in cheers.

This is what UFC in NYC looks like at MSG.