Conor McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, has been arrested for allegedly smashing a fan’s phone as they tried to take pictures.
According to police, the MMA fighter is being charged with strong-armed robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
The incident is said to have happened as McGregor left the Fontainbleau Miami Beach hotel at around 5.20 am local time. A police report says the Irishman knocked the phone out of the fan’s hand before stamping on it, picking it up and walking away.
The police report said, via BBC Sport:
The victim attempted to take a picture of the defendant with his cell phone. The defendant slapped the victim’s phone out of his hand, causing it to fall to the floor.
The defendant then stomped on the victim’s phone several times, damaging it. The defendant then picked up the victim’s phone and walked away with it, depriving him of it. The defendant was located and arrested.
The statement also suggested the victim’s phone was worth $1,000 (£760).
Last year, McGregor was ordered by a court to undergo anger management training, as well as perform five days of community service, after the criminal charges were dropped for attacking a bus containing other UFC fighters.
McGregor was charged with assault and criminal mischief in April last year after apparently attacking fellow UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bus in New York.
More recently, McGregor has been in Florida preparing for his UFC comeback. He has not fought professionally since losing his last match to the Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
After the fight with Nurmagomedov, McGregor was handed a six-month suspension and fined $50,000 for brawling with the Russian.
The fight took place in Las Vegas, where the brawl broke out immediately afterwards when Nurmagomedov jumped from the cage and began scrapping with members of McGregor’s corner, namely Dillion Danis.
Khabib’s own entourage then entered the Octagon and began throwing punches at McGregor. Three people from Khabib’s team were arrested for attacking the Irish MMA fighter. McGregor decided against pressing charges.
The fight with Nurmagomedov came just over a year since McGregor lost against Floyd Mayweather Jr in a boxing match that was known as ‘the biggest fight in combat sports history’. Mayweather reportedly earned $100 million (£76 million) from the matchup, while McGregor pocketed $30 million (£23 million).
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.