Dana White has been the bombastic president of the UFC since January 2001, and is not a man given to bouts of quiet introspection. But on Thursday afternoon, fresh from witnessing Conor McGregor hurl a metal sack barrow through the window of a bus containing several of his fighters — injuring two — he could not hide the shock and disappointment in his voice.

“This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company, and there is a warrant out for McGregor’s arrest,” he said quietly, having been ushered into a nondescript backroom at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, while McGregor and his group of goons fled the scene of the crime in a blacked out SUV.

“The police are looking for him right now,” White continued. “His plane cannot take off, he cannot leave the state of New York with this warrant. He’ll be grounded, and I’m assuming eventually if they don’t catch him, he’ll turn himself in. You can imagine he’s going to be sued beyond belief and this was a real bad career move for him.”

Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Show all 13 1 /13 Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Conor McGregor's most controversial moments The Irish superstar is no stranger to controversy. Here are twelve occasions in which he generated headlines for all the wrong reasons. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments 'F*** the Queen' McGregor came in for criticism from some quarters for wearing a poppy at a UFC event back in 2015. “I know where my allegiance lies and what I do for my country,” was his firebrand response. “You have a pint in your hand and a Celtic jersey on in your local. F*** you and the Queen.” Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Nazi row One of the first serious controversies in McGregor’s career. “Kiss them feet, Nazi,” he tweeted German fighter Dennis Siver. His apology also came in for criticism: “Ich bin bin sowwy. Now about them feet…” he wrote. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Insulting Aldo “I own this town, I own Rio de Janeiro,” McGregor told Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo, in a series of heavily criticised comments. “In previous times I would invade his favela on horseback and would kill anyone who wasn’t fit to work, but we’re in a new time, so I’ll whoop his ass instead.” Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments UFC 200 no show McGregor decided he did not have the time to fulfil his press duties ahead of UFC 200, and his scheduled rematch with Nate Diaz. UFC president Dana White was unimpressed with his no-show at a press conference and decided to pull him from the card. McGregor and Diaz would eventually meet at UFC 202, with the Irishman taking a points decision. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Bottles ahoy McGregor has been in trouble for throwing things before. Ahead of UFC 202 he became involved in a heated altercation with the Diaz brothers, which culminated in him hurling full cans of energy drink across a press conference. He was subsequently fined $25k by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and handed 25-hours community service. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Racism allegations There were a number of controversial moments during the Mayweather vs McGregor world press tour, with the UFC champion accused of racism on more than one ocassion. He attracted criticism for telling Mayweather to “dance for me, boy!” before later reasoning he was not a racist because “I’m black from the bellybutton down.” Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Showtime spat Showtime Spots executive Stephen Espinoza was less than impressed when McGregor turned his ire to him during the Mayweather vs McGregor world tour. “While we’re at it, f*ck Showtime too,” McGregor shouted at Espinoza in Toronto. “Look at you, you little f*cking weasel, I can see it in your eyes, you’re a f*cking bitch. Cut my mic off? Cut the champ’s mic off? Hell no. You f*cking weasel.” Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Bellator brawl After his team-mate Charlie Ward defeated John Redmond at a Bellator event in Dublin, McGregor vaulted into the cage and began arguing with respected referee Marc Goddard. McGregor pushed Goddard and threatened an official, before eventually apologising. “I’ve always learned from my mistakes, and this will be no different,” he said. Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Homophobia allegations The Irishman was heavily criticised when television cameras overheard him referring to Andre Fili as a “f****” after the American beat his training partner Artem Lobov at UFC Gdansk. “I’m human; I slip up, I say stupid things every damn day,” McGregor later apologised. “All I can (do) is hold my hand up and apologise if anyone was offended.” Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Darkest day A warrant for McGregor’s arrest was issued after the Irishman was caught on video smashing the window of a bus full of fighters with a sack trolley. Two fighters were injured in the incident, with McGregor eventually handing himself in to the police. He was eventually sentenced to three days of anger management courses and five days community service. Conor McGregor's most controversial moments UFC ban He was banned from the UFC for six months and fined $50k for brawling with the camp of Khabib after his world title loss. Getty Conor McGregor's most controversial moments Latest shame On Monday, McGregor was arrested in Miami Beach for allegedly destroying and stealing the mobile phone of a man who was attempting to take his photograph. Miami Beach PD

It is testament to the frankly unsustainable level of influence that McGregor holds over the UFC that the first sign his career could be in some form of mild peril was not when he decided to endanger the health of his fellow athletes, but when White finally decided to stop defending the superstar he has backed to the hilt on so many previous occasions.

His message was clear: McGregor has to sort out this mess on his own.

And what a mess it is. Video footage appears to show White’s most bankable star throwing everything from a sack barrow to an aluminium rubbish bin at the bus full of fighters, injuring at least two scheduled to compete on Saturday. McGregor was supposedly attempting to confront long-term rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was involved in a minor altercation with one of his training partners earlier this week.

Having initially made a run for it, the New York Police Department announced that McGregor had surrendered to police at the department's 78th Precinct late on Thursday night. He was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief by the NYPD and will appear at Brooklyn Criminal Court after 9.30am local time (14.30 GMT).

Conor McGregor lost all control on Thursday afternoon (Getty)

Contrary to the conspiracy theories that immediately began to do the rounds, the whole sorry saga is nothing short of a nightmare for the UFC. McGregor is by far the biggest star in the sport; the first man in the history of the promotion to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes, responsible for four of the six highest selling pay-per-views in the company’s history. He is also arguably the UFC’s sole remaining crossover star, recognisable to MMA fans and non-fans alike.

But he hasn't appeared for the UFC since November 2016, instead deciding to move into boxing for a lucrative fight with Floyd Mayweather, and was this week stripped by White of the 155-pound championship he had never defended. The UFC has been eagerly anticipating his move back into the sport — and the money that will bring — but White’s insistence that McGregor “would return this year” now looks desperately unlikely.

And then there are the wider ramifications of McGregor’s actions. Three fights have now been scrapped from UFC 223 as a result of the incident, at a difficult time in the calendar when the promotion desperately needs this event to succeed. Artem Lobov — McGregor’s training partner and close friend — was the first to go, his bout with Alex Caceres scrapped by White in response to his involvement in the bus attack.

Artem Lobov was also involved in the attack (Getty)

Next it was announced that popular lightweight Michael Chiesa would be unable to make his fight with Anthony Pettis as a result of the injuries he sustained in the altercation. Chiesa was standing directly next to the window McGregor lobbed the sack barrow through, resulting in several cuts to his face and upper body.

“A decision was made by the New York State Athletic Commission to pull me from UFC 223,” Chiesa later tweeted. “I'm devastated to say the least. Anthony, I hope to run this match up ASAP. June 9th in your backyard. That's all I have to say for now. Much love.”

Flyweight Ray Borg also was injured in the wake of the McGregor attack, with glass fragments reportedly damaging his eye. It was soon announced that his fight with Brandon Moreno was also off, robbing UFC 223 of yet another scheduled bout.

McGregor is no stranger to controversy (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Such was the fallout that the UFC felt compelled to issue an official statement on the mayhem, an unusual move considering the months of tactical silence over McGregor’s inactivity and stubborn refusal to defend his lightweight title. “The organisation deems today's disruption completely unacceptable and is currently working on the consequences that will follow,” they said.

“Individuals involved in the incident are not welcome at tomorrow's ceremonial weigh-in or Saturday's event at Barclays Center.”

White elaborated further as the dust began to settle. He admitted that McGregor was now unlikely to fight again this year, as had been planned, while wondering aloud whether the Irishman was using drugs. Such raw disappointment in his cash cow made clear just how ambiguous McGregor’s current status with the promotion is, while also rebutting those who immediately insisted the whole row had to be some sort of preordained PR stunt.

McGregor now faces an anxious wait to learn his punishment — both from the police and the UFC. White has also warned him to expect several lawsuits. “I know a handful of people here already that are filing lawsuits against him,” he added. “God knows how many he's going to have by the time this is done.”