Conor McGregor, a UFC fighter, and Machine Gun Kelly, a musician, had a verbal spat on Sunday night that nearly became violent.

Photos of the altercation surfaced, showing McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, and musician Kelly (real name Colson Baker) being separated by security after almost coming to blows.

According to a source close to Conor, the boxer wanted to say hello to Machine Gun Kelly, so he extended his hand and began approaching the singer, but the singer shouted something that Conor couldn’t hear, and Kelly’s security pulled Conor away. According to the insider, Conor had no idea what the problem was and was taken aback by how he was handled.

Conor McGregor can be seen in the background with Machine Gun Kelly (right) and his girlfriend, actress Megan Fox, talking on the red carpet.

As security guards dragged McGregor away, Kelly, dressed in a red glittering suit, sheltered lover Megan Fox from danger.

McGregor was taken away, but another video shows him tossing a cocktail at Kelly.

It’s unknown what sparked the altercation, and neither party is saying anything at the moment.

Conor McGregor out here trying to fight Machine gun Kelly after he denied to take a picture with him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭 #VMAs #ConorMcGregor #MGK pic.twitter.com/qXnfvCHWCa

— Shannon Sharpe Burner Account (@shannonsharpeee) September 13, 2021

According to TMZ, the brawl began after McGregor apparently requested a photo from Kelly, which she refused. Kelly is said to have shoved McGregor, causing the ex-UFC champion to fall over and spill his drink.

Conor apparently tossed the drink at Kelly… as well as Megan, who was close, when he gathered himself and whatever was left of his drink, according to other sources.

Shortly after, MGK, who was nominated (and subsequently won) for his song “My Ex’s Best Friend” with Blackbear, went by Variety’s red carpet location and was asked what occurred, but declined to comment.

Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS

In the statement, Kessler said, “Conor McGregor did not ask anyone for a picture, nor did he instigate this incident. He does not know Machine Gun Kelly, outside of the fact that he attended Conor’s fight this past July.”

Kelly and Fox were seen strolling the red carpet together before entering the building when calmer heads prevailed. During the program, Kelly is set to perform with Travis Barker.

On July 10, he was injured in a defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, which Kelly and Fox attended at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor, the most famous UFC fighter, is the first to hold two titles in separate weight classes at the same time, but he has lost three of his last four fights.

McGregor walked with girlfriend Dee Devlin shortly after, clad in a pink sports jacket, black frilled shirt, and black jeans. He appeared at the VMAs to present Justin Bieber with the artist of the year award.

In a subsequent interview with Entertainment Tonight, McGregor downplayed the incident, stating, “I just showed up” and “I don’t know what happened.”

“Nothing happened with me,” McGregor said. “I only fight real fighters. People that actually fight. I certainly don’t fight little Vanilla Ice white rappers. I don’t even know the guy, don’t know anything about him except that he’s with Megan Fox.”

McGregor has had many run-ins with the authorities in recent years, including one at Barclays Center. After a UFC media day in April 2018, McGregor and 20 men attacked the Barclays loading dock in pursuit of McGregor’s adversary Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor smashed a metal dolly through the window of a bus carrying UFC athletes during the confrontation. He was detained on assault and criminal mischief charges. McGregor agreed to a plea deal in which he was sentenced to community service and an anger management course.