Fan: Surprised when McGregor grabbed phone
Stephen A. Smith suggests that even though being in the public eye can be frustrating, Conor McGregor doesn’t have to right to destroy someone’s phone. (0:46)
Greg Rosenstein is the MMA editor at ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at @grosenstein.
The man whose phone allegedly was smashed by Conor McGregor said Tuesday that he thought he was getting a handshake from the UFC star when the incident took place.
McGregor was arrested Monday and charged with strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief for allegedly slapping the cellphone out of Ahmed Abdirzak’s hand, stomping on it and then taking it.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Abdirzak said he and McGregor were both at LIV nightclub in Miami Beach, Florida. As the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion was exiting the building, Abdirzak took out his phone for a photo. He said McGregor approached him and offered a handshake.
Conor McGregor was charged with strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief after allegedly smashing a person’s phone on Monday in Miami Beach.
“As soon as he came to shake my hand, he pulled me in and he grabbed my phone and he started smashing it and all his security guards literally surrounded me, pushed me out the way, and he’s stomping on it,” Abdirzak said. “… [McGregor] was just like, ‘Get the f— out my face. Move.’ And then I was like, ‘Yo, sir, can I have my phone back?’
“There was security in his entourage around him and I asked them, ‘Yo, can I get my phone back, please?’ And it was like, ‘Yo, move, man. You better listen to what Conor says.’ McGregor picked the phone up, put it in his pocket, laughed, and then he got in his [SUV] and they drove off, literally. That’s when the hotel manager come to me and said, ‘Listen, I’ll sort this out. Don’t worry.'”
Abdirzak said it wasn’t so much the phone, but what was on it.
“I’ve got pictures of my son that I didn’t even save on my iCloud that I’m gonna lose,” Abdirzak said. “That’s really what pissed me off the most. I’ve got pictures of my son I’ll probably never gonna get again.”
McGregor was released on $12,500 bail late Monday night. According to the State Attorney’s office, his arraignment will be April 10.
McGregor’s defense attorney, Sam Rabin, issued the following statement on Monday.
“Last evening, Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation involving a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement,” Rabin said. “Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation.”