Conor McGregor: Charges dropped after phone smashing incident

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The former two-weight UFC champion was arrested in Florida in March

Florida prosecutors have dropped all charges against UFC star Conor McGregor after he was arrested for allegedly smashing a fan's phone.

The Irish fighter had been charged with strong-armed robbery and misdemeanour criminal mischief.

But on Monday state prosecutors said the alleged victim had gone abroad and stopped co-operating with police.

The incident took place on 11 March as McGregor, 30, left the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel.

According to a police report filed at the time, the fan was trying to take pictures when the fighter knocked it out of his hand, before stamping on it, picking it up and leaving with it.

The phone was valued at $1,000 (£760).

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“The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case,” Prosecutor Khalil Madani told the Miami court on Monday.

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McGregor had already settled a civil lawsuit with the victim out of court.

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Video of the incident captured by CCTV cameras appears to show the fighter getting into an altercation outside the luxury hotel.

The former two-weight champion had been in Florida preparing for his UFC comeback after losing his last fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia in 2018.

That came a year after McGregor lost a boxing match, thought to be the most lucrative in history, to multiple world champion Floyd Mayweather.

American Mayweather earned a reported $100m (£76m) from the bout, with McGregor thought to have pocketed $30m.

Last year, McGregor was ordered by a court to have anger management training and perform five days of community service in return for the dropping of criminal charges for attacking a bus containing rival UFC fighters.