UFC star Conor McGregor has spoken out for the first time since his arrest in Miami, Florida, on Monday evening, after allegedly slapping a cell phone out of a fan’s hands, stomping on the screen several times and then walking away with it.
The former two-division champ posted a photo with an emotional caption, just hours after his release from Miami’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre.
“Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on”, McGregor wrote. “I love my fans dearly. Thank you all”.
In wake of the altercation with a fan in the early hours of Monday at the entrance to a famous Miami Beach hotel, Fountainebleu, McGregor faces several charges – one for strong-armed robbery, second-degree felony, criminal mischief, and a third-degree felony, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by MMA Fighting.
READ MORE: Netizens Divided Over Feud Between McGregor's Teammates Ahead of MMA Fight
The document states that the reported victim, Ahmed Abdirzak, was attempting to take a photo of McGregor when the MMA fighter allegedly ripped a $1,000 smartphone from his hand, causing it to be damaged.
According to his attorney, McGregor, who was released on a $12,500 bail, “appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges full cooperation”.
The incident has been widely chewed over on the Internet, with users eagerly reposting the 30-year-old’s pictures, and hilarious memes on the subject, suggesting that McGregor fully does justice to his nickname, “The Notorious”:
it doesn't sound like something McGregor would do pic.twitter.com/kkT1obDOnm
— Ciazarn (@Ciazarn) 11 марта 2019 г.
Fan: Hey Conor! Mind if I get a pic?!
— The Strangle Squad (@_StrangleSquad) 12 марта 2019 г.
McGregor: pic.twitter.com/DoX7r1nqaq
"Mr. McGregor sir, do you think i can get a pic with the champ champ?"
— MacMally🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) 12 марта 2019 г.
Conor: pic.twitter.com/Gkwi8JmFHz
The Foggy Dew song winds down
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) 12 марта 2019 г.
McGregor walks out of jail
🗣No-no-no-NOTORIOUS pic.twitter.com/5MJ0OTYBhq
“McGregor smashes phone on beach”
— J🥊🏴 (@NoTurnUnstonedd) 11 марта 2019 г.
“… but how can you smash a phone on sand?’
…. Look into it. pic.twitter.com/dB6Qg1U7Dy
Some even started a campaign in McGregor’s defence, under the respective hashtag #FreeConor:
I stand with @TheNotoriousMMA. #FreeConor pic.twitter.com/OBlnqKSiRv
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) 12 марта 2019 г.
Multiple users couldn’t help but crack a couple of jokes about the MMA fighter’s stardom and his worrisome number of arrests as of late:
BREAKING: Conor McGregor Does A Conor McGregor
— WWN (@WhispersNewsLTD) 11 марта 2019 г.
Many would consider it an honor getting their phone smashed by Conor McGregor. Just saying.
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) 12 марта 2019 г.
Conor McGregor has now more arrests than wins in the last 3 years.
— Mofasa (@hakkar2k) 11 марта 2019 г.
I know we’re gonna have our fun with this Conor McGregor arrest, but it’s worth noting that if a lot of us had phones stuck in our face as often as famous people do we’d all have thrown a few by now.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) 12 марта 2019 г.
Fucking love Conor McGregor but he does himself no favours at all😂
— Connor Marshall (@ConnorM1872) 11 марта 2019 г.
Per media reports, “The Notorious” just recently completed 25 hours of community service in New York’s churches, which he was obliged to do following his guilty plea to a misdemeanour stemming from the infamous bus attack in Brooklyn last year, which also involved his octagon opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov, among other UFC 223 participants.
McGregor was also required to complete a psychological course of anger management, which he is also reported to have fulfilled, along with a few conversations with a priest during his community service in the churches.
