Showtime's Steven Espinoza chides UFC, Conor McGregor following bus attack, UFC 223 card debacle

Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza, Conor McGregor and the UFC did big business together last year, but their relationship since “The Money Fight” has been anything but peachy.

The latest example? Espinoza’s remarks on Twitter in the wake of McGregor’s melee at UFC 223 media day and the falling apart of the pay-per-view card that followed.

McGregor, who attacked and damaged UFC fighter buses with his entourage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, surrendered to the New York Police Department on Thursday and faces two felony charges for criminal mischief and 10 misdemeanors. He could receive up to 11 years in prison for the felonies.

The rampage, which left multiple people (including fighters) injured, directly resulted in the cancellation of three fights, prompting UFC President Dana White to lash out at the 29-year-old star, who hasn’t fought an MMA fight since November 2016.

Espinoza chimed in on McGregor’s actions with a bit of sarcasm before responding to a Twitter user’s remarks.

More scathing, though, was Espinoza’s criticism of how the UFC handled the loss of its second UFC 223 main event in five days.

When featherweight champion Max Holloway was deemed medically unfit during weigh-ins to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title, the UFC was left scrambling to salvage the headliner. The promotion first couldn’t work out a deal with ex-champ Anthony Pettis. Then the New York State Athletic Commission, which is overseeing UFC 223, didn’t allow Paul Felder to be booked because he’s not included in the official UFC rankings.

So the UFC finally settled on Al Iaquinta, who meets Nurmagomedov tonight in the pay-per-view headliner. The only issue: Iaquinta is ineligible to win the title since he weighed in at 155.2 pounds for his previously scheduled bout with Felder, just slightly above the championship limit of 155.

However, White later declared Iaquinta eligible to become champion – sort of. Which is why Espinoza took the UFC to task.

“And they claim boxing is lawless,” he said. “Never heard a boxing match declared a title fight for both fighters even though one fighter failed to make weight. Congrats, UFC. You’ve far outdone boxing in terms of shadiness. But why bother adhering to rules when you don’t feel like it?”

Shortly after, Espinoza clarified his only issue is with White and the UFC brass with another insult.

“I have no issue with the fighters. None at all,” he said. “My issue is with the organization declaring that almost is good enough on a weigh-in. Hand grenades, horseshoes and UFC title fights…when almost is good enough.”

Espinoza’s remarks are the latest evidence of a falling out with him and the UFC. Espinoza and McGregor bickered earlier this year over numbers surrounding McGregor’s boxing match vs. Floyd Mayweather last August, which did big business but didn’t break pay-per-view records as White and McGregor bragged about.

Prior to that, Espinoza caught the wrath of McGregor on the May-Mac world tour when his mic was cut off during the first stop in Los Angeles, which “The Notorious” blamed on Espinoza.

It’s been all downhill ever since.

For more on UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.