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Conor McGregor was arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing the mobile phone of a man who was attempting to take his photo outside a nightclub.
McGregor, a former two weight UFC world champion and one of the most recognisable athletes in world sport, has been charged by the Miami Beach Police Department with strong-armed robbery and misdemeanour criminal mischief.
“Last evening Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation involving a cellphone that resulted in a call to law enforcement,” Samuel J. Rabin Jr., a Miami-based attorney representing McGregor, said in a statement.
“Mr McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation.”
According to a Miami Beach Police arrest report obtained by the Miami Herald, McGregor and the 22-year-old man were leaving the LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel shortly after 5am on Monday morning.
The fan was attempting to take a photo of the MMA star with his mobile phone when McGregor allegedly ‘slapped’ it out of his hand before stamping on it several times.
“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 report reads.
McGregor, 30, is then accused of picking up the broken mobile phone before leaving the area with it.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
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McGregor was not arrested at the scene but detectives spent the day investigating the alleged crime before locating the Irishman at a Miami Beach home on North Venetia.
He was being held on $12,500 bail. Jail records did not list an attorney.
McGregor is currently in Florida as he prepares for his next fight in the UFC, but is now set to be booked at Miami-Dade jail on Monday night.
The mixed martial artist, who is the most lucrative star in the UFC, has had several run-ins with the law before.
He was arrested nearly one year ago in New York City after he attacked a charter bus carrying several UFC fighters at a press event. McGregor was initially charged with two felonies, but ended up pleading guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct.
McGregor was sentenced to three days of anger management courses and five days community service.
He also appeared at a court in Dublin in December 2018, accused of driving without insurance or a licence when he was stopped by gardai in Grove Road, Rathmines, in July.
He had previously been disqualified from driving after he was caught driving over the speed limit.
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The Irishman returned to the UFC last autumn after losing his professional boxing debut to Floyd Mayweather.
He lost his return MMA bout, the undefeated Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov, before becoming involved in a violent altercation with his rival’s camp.
He was subsequently suspended from the UFC for six months and fined $50k.
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