Conor McGregor’s Fall from Grace: The Infamous Bus Attack That Shocked the UFC

Conor McGregor, once the untouchable king of the UFC, may not be officially retired, but many fans believe his downward spiral began with a single, jaw-dropping moment of chaos in April 2018. What started as a quest for vengeance spiraled into one of the darkest chapters in UFC history—a moment so reckless it left even Joe Rogan, the UFC’s outspoken commentator and podcast titan, utterly appalled.

The saga ignited when Khabib Nurmagomedov and his crew confronted McGregor’s close friend Artem Lobov backstage. Days later, McGregor, fueled by loyalty and rage, stormed a promotional event for UFC 223 to confront Khabib. The Russian was aboard a bus with other fighters, including Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Rose Namajunas, Al Iaquinta, Ray Borg, and Michael Chiesa, preparing to leave. What followed was pure pandemonium.

In a fit of fury, McGregor grabbed a metal dolly and hurled it at the bus, shattering windows and sending glass flying. The shocking act wasn’t just a personal vendetta gone wrong—it was a betrayal of the very principles martial arts stand for. Joe Rogan didn’t hold back when dissecting the incident in a 2023 clip from UFC Fanatic.

“That’s straight-up unacceptable. Chuck a dolly at a bus full of fighters? That’s not what martial artists do,” Rogan roared. “We teach kids honor, respect, discipline through martial arts. This? This is just circus-level hype, pure theatrics.” He contrasted McGregor’s antics with Lyoto Machida, a Brazilian legend whose quiet dignity and traditional martial arts ethos stand in stark contrast to the Irishman’s brash chaos.

The dolly incident wasn’t just a spectacle—it had real consequences. Artem Lobov was yanked from UFC 223 for his role in the drama. Worse, Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa were forced to withdraw from their fights after being injured by flying glass. The event was thrown into disarray, and McGregor’s actions left a black mark on the sport.

Yet, in a bizarre twist, the UFC leaned into the controversy. Rather than burying the footage, they weaponized it, using McGregor’s rampage to hype the blockbuster UFC 229 showdown between him and Khabib. The result? The biggest pay-per-view in UFC history. “The UFC milked that moment to sell the fight,” Rogan noted. “Conor smashing the bus, screaming, yelling—that was the heart of their promo campaign.”

Here lies the UFC’s hypocrisy. Rogan rightly called out McGregor’s actions as antithetical to martial arts values, yet the organization glorified the incident for profit. McGregor faced assault charges and narrowly escaped jail with a plea deal, but the UFC kept broadcasting the footage, turning a deplorable act into a marketing goldmine. It’s a glaring contradiction: condemning the behavior while profiting from its infamy.

Rogan’s words ring true—honor and respect should define the UFC. But for that to happen, the organization must practice what it preaches, rather than cashing in on chaos. McGregor’s bus attack wasn’t just a low point for him; it was a wake-up call for the sport itself.