The Miami Herald has reported that UFC fighter Conor McGregor was arrested Monday night in Florida following an alleged incident with a fan attempting to take a photo of the fighter.
McGregor is accused of slapping the phone out of the hands of Ahmed Abdirzak, stomping down on the phone and leaving with it in hand. The alleged incident was said to have taken place in the early hours Monday morning outside the Fontainebleu Hotel.
McGregor is facing a second-degree felony of strong-armed robbery and a third-degree felony of criminal mischief.
The Miami Herald story reported that the incident was caught on surveillance footage and the following statement was issued by McGregor’s defense lawyer, Samuel Rabin, stating that his client “was involved in a minor altercation involving a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement. Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation”.
The New York Times has reported that Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, has returned a $400 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s government investment fund. This comes in response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Turkey. It is the most high-profile example of pushback from an American company in response to the murder. Virgin Group suspended their talks regarding a potential investment from the fund, as well.
The Chicago Tribune has reported that two women’s fights have been signed for the UFC 238 pay-per-view on June 8th at the United Center. Tatiana Suarez, who many have pegged as a future champion, will fight Nina Ansaroff in a strawweight fight. They have also announced a flyweight bout between Joanne Calderwood and Katlyn Chookagian. Suarez won the Ultimate Fighter in July 2016 and has gone 4-0 in the UFC and just beat former champion Carla Esparza last September. Ansaroff has won her last four fights, so this is a big fight for both women to set up a possible title fight in 2019.
