Two days ago, Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez revealed that Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi had to be told to calm down after a sparring session between the pair got "out of control".
Malignaggi, a two-weight world champion who ended his boxing career this year, was hired by McGregor for the UFC superstar's training camp as he steps up his preparation for the blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather later this month.
Cortez was in the ring to officiate and it was just as well, as McGregor and Malignaggi were not holding back.
"It was the real thing, I had to stop the action, say 'you guys are a little out of control here, you've got to stop this'. You know, they got a little rough," he told RUSH 93.
"They were both roughing each other up and I had to stop the action like it was a regular fight. They were holding too much - they were trying to punch each other. So I had to call 'time, alright guys you've got to stop this right now, I want a good, clean round - give me a sportsmanlike conduct you understand?'"
But on Thursday there was more controversy when a social media account, which belongs to a McGregor fan, leaked out sparring photos with Malignaggi.
In the photos, it appears to show Malignaggi get dropped and really worked over by the MMA fighter.
Malignaggi is red hot, stating that McGregor and his camp members are trying to pain the wrong picture. He denies being knocked down in the sparring session and says McGregor "pushed him" down.
He dared McGregor and his team to release the "unedited" footage of the sparring session. Malignaggi says there were cameramen who filmed the entire sparring session.
"I came to help this camp out, not to be exploited, now your gonna get the truth though. Post full unedited video from Tuesday. Ethics," Malignaggi stated on social media.
McGregor and Mayweather will do battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 26.
