NAC Head Says McGregor Was Only Fined $75K for Bottle-Throwing Debacle – Not $150K.

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz had plenty of highly-publicized run-ins in the buildup to their UFC 202 rematch. The most high-profile of these, however, was their infamous bottle-throwing showdown at one of the event’s pre-fight press conferences.

The incident began when McGregor showed up late to the press event. Evidently irritated by the Irishman’s tardiness, Diaz and his team then stormed out of the building, throwing water bottles McGregor’s way as they did. McGregor, who never shies away from an on-camera conflict, then returned fire, pelting his adversaries with water bottles of his own, and an energy drink can. This wild shoot-out, unsurprisngly, drove the fans into a frenzy, and increased the hype for UFC 202 by an exponential factor. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC), however,  was not pleased about the ordeal. In fact, they were livid.

The organization’s displeasure with McGregor and Diaz’s water bottle fire-fight manifested itself at a recent disciplinary hearing. After some tense negotiations, the Irishman received his punishment. It was announced that he would have to take part in an anti-bullying PSA, complete 50 hours of community service, and pay a fine of a whopping $150,000.

As it turns out, however, this number was misinterpreted.

According to MMAFighting.com, who recently spoke with NAC executive director Bob Bennett, McGregor was actually only fined $75,000 – half the amount initially believed. The $150,000 amount mentioned at the hearing, Bennett explained, was representative of McGregor’s $75,000 fine, plus the value of his planned anti-bullying campaign, also $75,000.

“It appears the media and others got it wrong,” Bennett told MMAFighting.com.

So, all McGregor will have to pay the Nevada Athletic Commission is $75,000. Whether this changes his mind about no longer fighting in Las Vegas, however, remains to be seen.

“Good luck trying to get it,” McGregor recently told Rolling Stone of his fine. 

“I don’t see Nevada in my future, for the foreseeable future,” McGregor added. “I’m free to do what I want…I’m good. I’m good. New York, New York. That’s what I think.”

McGregor’s next fight, as the quote above suggests, will go down at UFC 205 in New York City. The Irish star will take on lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez in the card’s main event. If he’s successful in this fight, he’ll become the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously.

Do you think the fine McGregor has been handed is excessive? Sound off, PENN Nation!