LAS VEGAS – Michael Chiesa has finally decided to open up about being one of the victims of Conor McGregor’s vicious actions during UFC 223 fight week.

Chiesa was caught in the crossfire of McGregor’s bus attack that was caught on video in April at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The former two-division UFC champion made a surprise appearance at the arena following media day and attempted to confront Khabib Nurmagomedov, but instead caused widespread damage to others.

Chiesa, who was supposed to fight Anthony Pettis on the card, was one of the fighters injured when McGregor threw a dolly through a bus window. Chiesa had multiple cuts on his head and was deemed unfit to fight, forcing the cancellation of his bout.

In the months since the incident, Chiesa has been relatively quiet. While he wouldn’t provide comment as to whether he’s pursuing legal action, on Thursday he had no problem venting his frustration about the consequences of McGregor’s actions.

“I don’t really got a lot to say to the guy,” Chiesa told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. “I lost a title shot. I have proof. I was the highest ranked guy on the card. I would have stepped in to fight Khabib at the drop of a dime (after Max Holloway was pulled from the card). I’ve always loved the fight with Khabib. Bless his heart, he’s a cool-ass guy. But this is a sport, and I’ve always liked the way I matched up against him, and I got (expletive) out of that opportunity.

“I don’t really have too many kind things to say to (McGregor). You work your whole life for those kinds of opportunities. Do I want mine on short order? No, I’d love a training camp. But, like I said, if they walked in the door now and said, ‘Hey, you want to fight for the title in the next 10 minutes?’ I’m out the door, I’m warming up, I’m ready to go.”

McGregor apparently reached out to UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas, who was also on the bus and shaken by the incident, to express his remorse. Chiesa said he’s had no contact with “The Notorious,” though.

It was a disappointing experience for Chiesa, but in many ways he’s moved on.

“Not one person can ruin my love for mixed martial arts,” Chiesa said. “My love for mixed martial arts will never waver. My love for the UFC will never waver. Just because some guy played up some theatrics WWE-style and took it a bit overboard and affected the lives of fighters and workers with the UFC, I’m not going to let one person’s actions directly affect how much I love this sport. The day I fall out of love with it, I’m hanging ’em up. It’s not worth it.

“If you’re gonna get punched in the face, elbowed, cut up, busted up, injured, have to cut weight, have to bring yourself to the brink of death to show up the next day and try to put on the performance of your life, you’ve got to love it. And if I don’t love it, it’s just not worth it to me. And that love will never die. I’m not going to let one guy spoil the party.”

Chiesa (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), whose bout with Pettis (20-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is rescheduled for UFC 226 on July 7 at T-Mobile Arena, said he’ll never forget the experience he went through in Brooklyn and what it might’ve cost him career-wise. However, he knows there’s interest in his stance on the situation, so he felt it was appropriate to finally break his silence.

“I’m just not thinking about that. I don’t waste energy on that. I’ve wasted enough,” Chiesa said. “Brooklyn was a (expletive) heartbreaker, to say the least. And this is the most I’ve said about it. I’ve tried to stay mostly closed off, but (expletive) it. You guys want some answers, you got some.”

For more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.