MMA superstar McGregor back in court

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor is due back in a Brooklyn criminal court on Thursday, three months after he was arrested following a melee at the Barclays Centre arena.

At McGregor’s last court appearance, prosecutors said they were negotiating a plea deal with him and his co-defendant, Cian Cowley, also an Irish fighter.

McGregor’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old brash star is charged with assault and criminal mischief for his role in the brawl. Video footage, which went viral, appears to show McGregor and his entourage in an underground parking area smashing windows on a bus filled with Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters who were at the arena to publicize an upcoming UFC event.

The UFC, the sport’s premier organising body, said one fighter was hit by a dolly thrown through a window, while another suffered a cut to his eye after the glass shattered.

At the time of the melee, McGregor was angry that the UFC had stripped him of the lightweight title, according to profanity-laced messages he posted on Twitter.

The UFC took away the title after McGregor decided not to defend it in favour of taking a highly lucrative boxing match against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather’s pay-per-view victory garnered more than $600 million in revenues, making it the second-biggest bout of all time.