Conor McGregor spits on a fan as outrageous behavior by UFC fighters continues seemingly unabated

Just four days after UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell praised Adolf Hitler as a "good guy," justified his actions as "fighting for his country," and made homophobic remarks while denying the Holocaust, Conor McGregor, the UFC’s biggest star, was caught spitting in a fan’s face after being taunted.

On Monday, a video surfaced of McGregor being taunted in a hotel lobby by a fan shouting, "Let's go Khabib!" McGregor, who was defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov in a 2018 title fight and has since held a bitter grudge, confronted the man and spat in his face. This came just days after McGregor sparked outrage with an unhinged social media rant, in which he twice used the N-word when ranting about Nurmagomedov.

McGregor then said, "I spit in your face. What did you do? Nothing."  McGregor's entourage stood by, giving the impression that this behavior was normal and acceptable.

It was appalling behavior by a man whose actions are growing increasingly reckless and bizarre.

McGregor, of course, is a former world champion. A lay person would suffer a severe beating if he swung at McGregor, because McGregor would likely respond physically. As a result, the man took it without comment. But it was classless and indefensible and shouldn't be permitted to go unchecked.

Of course, the fan should have known better than to taunt McGregor. On April 5, 2018, McGregor showed up to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., for a UFC media event. He attacked a bus that Nurmagomedov and other fighters and UFC personnel were on and sparked a series of lawsuits. McGregor later pleaded guilty, but avoided jail time.

This outrageous type of behavior exhibited by McGregor and Mitchell used to be a rarity in MMA, but it's become far more prevalent recently. Mixed martial arts was introduced into the United States in 1993, around the same time as the so-called "Toughman" contests emerged, and people in that era often conflated the two.

In the early days of Zuffa's ownership of the UFC, it marketed its fighters by noting how many had college educations. The UFC worked to change the perception of its fighters as "drunken brawlers," highlighting how many had college educations and/or backgrounds in respected Olympic sports like judo, wrestling, and boxing.

Mitchell, after 48 hours of unrelenting pressure, at least apologized by releasing a statement on social media. But with no action taken by the UFC, it rings hollow and could embolden others.

Many of the comments under Mitchell's apology were supportive and said he was simply exercising his right as an American citizen to free speech. It's clear, though, that the commenters don't fully understand the protections provided by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment protects us against the government restricting what we can say, not private employers.

On a UCLA website dealing with free speech issues in the workplace, it cites a state court ruling that reads, "In the absence of government action, of course, private employers may restrict employees' speech with no First Amendment difficulties, and even fire employees for speech that's otherwise protected against government censorship, such as profanity or political speech."

The UFC has a code of conduct that governs fighter behavior, though it's rarely enforced. The policy on the UFC's website notes that "sanctions, contractual penalties and/or contractual termination may be imposed ..." for certain behaviors.

Among the issues it considers violations are "criminal offenses, including, but not limited to, those involving the use or threat of violence;" and "conduct, including, but not limited to, assault, stalking, bullying or domestic violence, that imposes inherent danger to the safety or wellbeing of another person;" "violent, threatening or harassing behavior;" and "inappropriate physical, verbal and online behavior."

I'm pretty sure spitting in someone's face and then hovering in front of them is violent, threatening or harassing behavior.

No one is asking the UFC to muzzle its fighters. They have the right to express their opinions the same way any one of us do.

But Mitchell not being cut is puzzling, and McGregor's continued employment would be mystifying if McGregor's bouts didn't generate such huge revenue. It's easier to turn a blind eye when the one making the offensive comments or threatening behavior is generating tens of millions for the company.

When, though, is enough, enough?

The UFC needs to take action to check this kind of behavior. Praising Hitler is a bridge too far. He committed genocide and is responsible for millions of deaths. The promotion shouldn't allow someone who thinks Hitler is a good guy to wear its logo and represent it in athletic competitions.

And McGregor's long history of horrendous behavior has been allowed to go on unchecked far too long. He was once beloved in Ireland, but no more. 

It's time for the UFC to bring the hammer down.