Michael Chiesa Taken to Hospital with Face Injury After Conor McGregor Attack

Featured ColumnistApril 5, 2018

BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 05: (L-R) Michael Chiesa and Anthony Pettis face off during the UFC 223 Ultimate Media Day inside Barclays Center on April 5, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Michael Chiesa had to be taken to the hospital as the result of an injury suffered ahead of his UFC 223 fight against Anthony Pettis this weekend after Conor McGregor went wild at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday.

McGregor attacked a bus during a confrontation with other fighters at media day, even going so far as to pick up a guard rail:

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Conor McGregor went wild at the #UFC223 press conference at Barclays 😬 NSFW (via @feliceherrig) https://t.co/O8d8wij54K

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Chiesa was hospitalized after suffering cuts to his face:

Brett Okamoto @bokamotoESPN
Dana White confirmed Michael Chiesa suffered an injury, cuts to the face, and is in the hospital. Artem Lobov has been pulled from UFC 223, per White, as he was apparently part of the crew that stormed the building.

The injury is severe enough to keep him from entering the Octagon, per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com:

Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani
Michael Chiesa vs Anthony Pettis is canceled, sources say.

Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani
Reason for the cancelation are the cuts Chiesa sustained on his face, I’m told.

Emil Grzelak posted (and has since deleted) footage from inside the bus during the incident. Warning: Video contains NSFW language.

Per Okamoto, UFC President Dana White called the incident "the most despicable thing in UFC history."

The 30-year-old Chiesa was looking to bounce back after losing his last fight to Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City back in January. That bout ended a three-match winning streak and dropped his record to 14-3-0.

This weekend was a chance for him to get back in the win column.

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