In its handling of Conor McGregor, NSAC proves to be 'arbitrary and capricious' once more

It’s hard to say what’s worse about the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s disciplinary process: the final outcome, or the reasoning used to arrive there.

Actually, on second thought, no it’s not that hard. It’s the reasoning. You can tell, because if the commission members just huddled together and mumbled inaudibly to each other before turning around to announce their decision, at least then we wouldn’t have the chance to be baffled by their collective thought process.

Instead, when Conor McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) had his day in kangaroo court, we got to listen in as NSAC commissioners discussed how best to “humble” the UFC featherweight champion for the sin of engaging in a bottle-throwing war with Nate Diaz (19-11 MMA, 14-9 UFC) at the UFC 202 press conference in August.

It began with the state attorney general’s office recommending a fine of $25,000, plus 25 hours of community service and, weirdest of all, five hours of “media training” for McGregor. Because, sure, we all walked away from that press conference feeling like what McGregor really needed was to get better at dealing with reporters.

But after that recommendation, and after McGregor’s attorney offered a response that suggested the possibility of legal action against the commission, the NSAC wound up doubling McGregor’s community service and increasing his fine to $150,000 – six times the recommended amount.

Why did it do this? For the children. The ones who look up to McGregor and Diaz. Also for the fans. The ones who could have been hurt (but weren’t) by a flying can of Monster Energy.

And then there’s society as a whole, which will benefit from the anti-bullying video that the NSAC plans to compel McGregor to make. And good videos cost money – seriously, this was actually a factor included in the discussion – so McGregor has to pony up.

Oh, and then there was commissioner Pat Lundvall’s remark that McGregor might “need to be humbled.” And who better to do it than the ever so humble NSAC?

You remember, the same regulatory body that went all scorched earth on Nick Diaz even after (or especially after) his attorney offered a competent defense when he was accused of testing positive for marijuana. The commission then quietly pushed through a settlement when facing a potential court battle over that one – and the decision to approve that was one of the few matters the commissioners didn’t feel the need to deliberate in public.

It’s also the same commission that attempted to ban Wanderlei Silva for life after he evaded a drug test in 2014, only to have a judge overturn that sentence, calling it arbitrary and capricious.

Those two words really sum up the NSAC’s disciplinary process as a whole. As we’ve seen multiple times, going before that commission isn’t so much about making your case or proving your innocence. It’s not a court of law; it just occasionally tries to masquerade as one.

The best thing you can do, it seems, is admit guilt and throw yourself on the mercy of the commission. Hiring a real, competent lawyer only seems to enrage these people, and they are not at all above increasing your penalty out of pure, good old-fashioned spite.

(Unless you’re Floyd Mayweather, apparently, who can get away with all manner of malfeasance and still get a promoter’s license from the NSAC.)

What did the NSAC accomplish by lowering the boom on McGregor? It grabbed some of his cash. It compelled him into the service of the community. It set the wheels in motion to create a really high-quality, visually stunning anti-bullying PSA.

It also reminded all fighters that if you get in trouble in Nevada, you put yourself at the whims of people who will first decide how much money they need before they decide how much you should pay. They’ll factor in what they think of your ego, and whether you might need to be taken down a peg or two. They’ll be accountable to no one, unless you’re willing to spend the time and money to take them to court.

And if you do? Congratulations, you have a pretty good chance of convincing another judge to remind the commissioners that justice isn’t supposed to work this way. Not that it’s a lesson the NSAC seems willing to learn.

For complete coverage of UFC 200, check out the UFC Events section of the card.