Conor McGregor is in the most arduous and turbulent part of his public life so far. After being found liable by an Irish court last week for a–aulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in 2018, the Irishman has been dropped by multiple brands in the past 72 hours. This has made many curious about his fate with the UFC, with whom he is still under contract for two more fights.

There is no clarity on what the future holds for the Dubliner. In this article, we take a look at the actions Dana White and Co. have taken against its fighters on disciplinary grounds and see if it can tell us something about how ‘Mac’ will be treated.

Jon Jones received an infinite suspension over a hit-and-run case

Every UFC fan is aware of the turbulent history between Jon Jones and the law. The first and perhaps the most serious case of Jones getting into legal trouble came back in April 2015, when he was the UFC’s light heavyweight champion. Until that fateful night almost nine years ago, when he was driving under the influence in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the place where he lives.

DUI, of course, is itself a crime. But it pales in comparison to what happened next. Jon Jones would hit another car, driven by a pregnant woman, and fled the scene immediately without assisting the woman as the law requires. Jones, later turned himself in to the police and was subsequently stripped of his title by the UFC on disciplinary grounds.

Furthermore, ‘Bones’ was sentenced to eighteen months probation and a $10k fine by an Albuquerque court after being found guilty. But his UFC career resumed subsequently as he went on to win the 205lbs title again in 2016. However, not all fighters were as lucky as Jones and were able to keep their spot in the UFC after finding themselves in legal trouble.

Undefeated UFC prospect fired after serious criminal allegations

In late 2016, the UFC suspended then-promising up-and-coming welterweight prospect Michael Graves after he was charged with misdemeanor battery against his then-girlfriend and arrested by the police. While it is unknown whether he was found guilty or innocent of this alleged offense, he did lose his spot on the UFC roster because of it.

The promotion, after conducting a third-party review of the case chose to cut Graves six months after the incident, citing violations of the Fighter Conduct Policy clause of his contract.

“Based on the findings of this thorough review and investigation, UFC has advised Graves that he has been released from his contract effective immediately… UFC requires all athletes to act in an ethical and responsible manner, as mandated by the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy. UFC holds its athletes to the highest standard and will continue to take appropriate action if and when warranted,” an official statement from the UFC said.

Of course, the decision of whether or not to cut fighters is entirely up to the UFC and some feel, not enforced consistently across the board. Jones, for example, was found guilty of the hit-and-run but was still kept on by the promotion, while, for example, Graves was cut even before a court ruled on his case.

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller fired because of his erratic behavior

Another fighter who was cut by the UFC over disciplinary grounds was MMA veteran Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller. The American, of course, was a big star in the sport in the 2000s but had a history of getting into the soup with the law, including an a–ault and robbery case in 2005 and a false imprisonment charge by his sister in 2011, months before he was fired by the UFC.

But none of this caused his downfall. Miller was fired by Dana White one day after the TUF 14 finalist lost to CB Dolloway at UFC 146 back in May 2012 as the UFC boss was tired of his shenanigans. Apparently, the main reasons for him being cut were a backstage brawl before a UFC event, and his decision to wear a paper bag to the octagon for one of his fights.

Since then, the veteran has found himself on the wrong side of the law multiple times, having been arrested thirteen times as of November 2024 since his firing from the UFC! His latest arrest was for allegedly choking a fan in 2023.

Dana White releases Luis Pena following violence charges

UFC lightweight Luis Pena was cut by the UFC back in 2021 for more serious charges than Miller. In June 2021, the Italian-born fighter was charged with strong-arm robbery, misdemeanor, and criminal mischief charges for allegedly hitting his then-girlfriend. She would go on to withdraw those charges later, only for Pena to allegedly do it again.

In October of that same year, he was again charged with domestic battery for allegedly repeatedly punching his girlfriend and another woman, who tried to intervene. UFC CEO Dana White was disgusted with this whole affair and decided to fire Pena after reading the police report for the October incident.

Is Conor McGregor still with the UFC?

Yes, Conor McGregor is still with the UFC. But his future with the MMA juggernaut is uncertain. At the moment, the UFC has given no official reactions to the verdict, but it could cut him citing his violation of the Fighter Conduct Policy of the UFC. But that doesn’t seem very likely at the moment.

According to a source quoted by ‘The Daily Mail’, the UFC would still be interested in having him back since he is still the biggest draw in the sport. The source felt that if McGregor wins his appeal and gets the verdict reversed, it would see him welcomed back to the UFC with open arms.

On the other hand, even if he couldn’t, there is still a chance for him to be back. The source cited the example of President-elect Donald Trump, who was ruled liable of r–e in a New York civil trial recently, but is in very good standing with the promotion.

“So Conor is in some hot water, but he will be able to come back eventually once the dust clears. It will just be a little longer away than originally expected,” the source told the outlet. Of course, it is premature to say, but it does seem like the UFC could continue having ‘Mac’ on its roster. But whether he will fight next year, as was the promotion’s plan still remains unknown. What do you think the UFC will do after Conor McGregor lost his civil trial?