Conor McGregor Breaks Silence After Arrest With Statement to Fans

Conor McGregor broke his silence since his arrest on Monday for an altercation with a fan in Miami.

The UFC fighter took to Instagram to send a message to his fans, letting them know he’s working hard on correcting his issues with patience.

“Patience in this world is a virtue I continue to work on. I love my fans dearly. Thank you all,” he wrote, adding a red heart emoji.

In the photo, he’s walking in sweatpants and a form-fitting T-shirt with a fake newspaper headline that reads, “‘When I say something is going to happen, it’s going to happen.’ McGregor is back!”

The 30-year-old was taken into police custody at around 6 p.m. ET on Monday following an incident with a fan earlier in the day.

McGregor had left the Fountainebleau Miami Beach hotel around 5 a.m. with a fan after the resort’s LIV nightclub closed, according to the Miami Beach Police Department. When the fan attempted to take a photo with McGregor, he became confrontational and “slapped” the fan’s phone out of his hand and then “stomped on the victim’s phone several times, damaging it.” He then picked up the device, valued at $1,000, and walked away with it.

The incident was allegedly caught on security cameras, and McGregor was arrested Monday night at a Miami Beach home on North Venetian Drive around 6 p.m. ET. Charged with one count of robbery and one count of criminal mischief (which carry a $7,500 bond and $5,000 bond, respectively), he was released from jail after posting the $12,500 bond.

“Last evening Conor McGregor was involved a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement,” McGregor’s attorney said in a statement. “Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation.”

The UFC champion had been in Miami celebrating his mother’s birthday, renting out a Versace Mansion. Along with his mother, his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their 1-year-old son, Conor Jr., were also in Miami.

In April 2018, McGregor was arrested after throwing a luggage dolly at a bus full of UFC fighters in Brooklyn, New York. He completed an anger management class and five days of community service just days before his arrest this week.

In December, he avoided charges for driving in Ireland without a license after the charges were dropped. He was pulled over in July in Dublin, Ireland, where police said he could not produce a valid driver’s license. But in a hearing months later, he reportedly presented the card and cleared his name.

However, he was reportedly banned from driving in the country for six months following a speeding charge from 2017. The punishment was handed down in November, meaning he will have to wait until May to legally drive in his native country again.

Photo credit: Steve Marcus / Stringer / Getty