McGregor Facing Reduced Charges For Cell Phone Snatch-And-Stomp

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor will face reduced charges for his cell phone snatch-and-stomp last month outside of a Miami Beach nightclub, per court records (via USA TODAY Sports).
McGregor, who was arrested on felony charges last mon…

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor will face reduced charges for his cell phone snatch-and-stomp last month outside of a Miami Beach nightclub, per court records (via USA TODAY Sports).

McGregor, who was arrested on felony charges last month after grabbing a cell phone out of a fan’s hand trying to take a picture of the fighter and eventually stepping on it (see it HERE), had one felony charge reduced to a misdemeanor and the other felony charge lowered in severity. In turn, “Notorious” will see his potential jail time reduced from a maximum of 20 years to just six.

“After reviewing the facts of the incident, the prosecutor realized that there wasn’t enough evidence to support the original felony charges,” former assistant U.S. Attorney David S. Weinstein told USA TODAY Sports.

The cell phone in question was originally valued at $1,000 which led to a felony criminal mischief charge for McGregor. That charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor, per court records, as the cell phone is now valued anywhere between $200 and $1,000. McGregor’s other charge for strong-arm robbery (a second-degree felony) was also reduced to robbery by sudden snatching (a third-degree felony).

While this is good news for the former UFC superstar, McGregor still isn’t in the clear. The 30-year-old Irishman is scheduled for a hearing on April 10 to settle his newly-reduced charges. Should the third-degree felony stick it may very well effect McGregor’s ability to enter the United States moving forward.

“Like his other arrest, his biggest problem is the effect that a conviction will have on his immigration status,” Weinstein said. “A conviction for this offense qualifies as an aggravated felony. It remains a privilege to enter the U.S. and not a right. So if there is a conviction, that will allow U.S. immigration authorities to prevent him from entering the U.S. on a visitor or work visa.”

For now, fans will have to wait and see what kind of water McGregor lands in next week. If he’s able to escape these charges relatively unscathed, his recent retirement may not last long.

UFC On ESPN 2 Bonuses: Gaethje Earns $50K For Main Event KO

Fight fans got what they asked for last night (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when Justin Gaethje battled it out with Edson Barboza in the main event en route to finishin…

Fight fans got what they asked for last night (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when Justin Gaethje battled it out with Edson Barboza in the main event en route to finishing the Brazilian via first-round knockout (highlights HERE).

In addition to the main event madness, middleweight contender Jack Hermansson delivered in his co-main event spot with a 49-second submission finish over David Branch, resurgent featherweight Josh Emmett got back into the win column with a one-punch knockout of Michael Johnson, light heavyweight submission artist Paul Craig pulled off another last-second finish when he choked out Kennedy Nzechukwu, and lightweight veteran Desmond Green scored his first UFC finish with a TKO of Ross Pearson.

In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC on ESPN 2 bonus winners below:

Fight of the Night: Justin Gaethje vs. Edson Barboza

Performance of the Night: Jack Hermansson

Performance of the Night: Paul Craig

For complete UFC Philadelphia results and coverage click here.

McGregor Congratulates Gaethje On KO Win – ‘Well Done’

Justin Gaethje’s first-round knockout win over Edson Barboza earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, impressed the MMA community as a whole. Fight fans were happi…

Justin Gaethje’s first-round knockout win over Edson Barboza earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, impressed the MMA community as a whole. Fight fans were happily delighted to see the anticipated lightweight showdown end in fireworks and other fighters were amazed with the dominant performance by “Highlight.”

While he is no longer a fellow UFC fighter to Gaethje, the newly-retired Conor McGregor was one of those to weigh in on Gaethje’s scintillating knockout blow over Barboza. “Notorious” took to Twitter following the conclusion of the ESPN main event to deliver the following message:

“That was well done all the way through,” wrote McGregor. “Congratulations Justin.”

With his UFC career now on ice, McGregor has a little more free time to chime in on the meaningful occurrences in MMA and to even throw some shade at Mark Wahlberg. It’s nice to see “Notorious” pay respect when it’s due. Gaethje looked absolutely amazing tonight after coming off another first-round knockout over the talented James Vick last August.

Considering the type of performances that Gaethje continues to put on it would have been fun to see “Highlight” and McGregor square off inside of the Octagon. That was a matchup that could have come to fruition sometime in the future had McGregor not decided to call it quits earlier this week.

Another impressive win for Gaethje could line him up for a potential title shot, which could mean a matchup with McGregor’s biggest rival, current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

I wonder what McGregor would have to say about that one.

Highlights! Gaethje Delivers With Barboza KO

The lightweight main event between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was all it was cracked up to be as Gatehje knocked out…

The lightweight main event between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was all it was cracked up to be as Gatehje knocked out Barboza in the very first round.

While Barboza landed some good leg kicks and timely counters, Gaethje dominated this fight from the opening bell. He landed the better kicks in the beginning moments before hurting Barboza with a big combination. Barboza survived the early damage before “Highlight” caught him clean with a vicious right hand along the cage. Barboza hit the canvas, his lights turned off, and that was all she wrote.

Check out the knockout blow above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

With this performance, Gaethje locks down his second-straight knockout win at 155 pounds after taking out James Vick in the first round last August. Gaethje once again delivered on his promise and now looks to be ready to make a run at the lightweight title. UFC loves fighters who can produce instant fireworks no matter who they face so “Highlight” could get a nice push moving forward.

For complete UFC Philadelphia results and coverage click here.

Highlights! ‘Joker’ Submits Branch In 49 Seconds At UFC Philadelphia

Jack Hermansson made quick work of former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) middleweight champion David Branch earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by submitting…

Jack Hermansson made quick work of former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) middleweight champion David Branch earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by submitting the veteran fighter via guillotine choke just 49 seconds into the first round.

After a brief feeling out period it was Hermansson who struck big with a foot sweep into a takedown. “Joker” quickly had side control and forced Branch to retreat to his feet. Once Branch made the move, Hermansson was able to trap Branch’s arm in a body wrap and move into a tight guillotine choke attempt along the cage. Branch fell to the ground and tapped seconds later.

Check out the full highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

With this performance, Hermansson locks down arguably the best win of his career and extends his current UFC win streak to three, having finished Gerald Meerschaert and Thales Leites last year. This victory is going to go a long way in positioning “Joker” in a big-time fight his next time out and maybe he’ll be able to turn it into a serious run.

For complete UFC Philadelphia results and coverage click here.

LIVE! Watch UFC Philly Post-Fight Presser Here!

As soon as UFC on ESPN 2 wraps up later tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fight fans can check out the live post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and off…

As soon as UFC on ESPN 2 wraps up later tonight (Sat., Mar. 30, 2019) from inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fight fans can check out the live post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

On a night that features a main event clash between lightweight strikers Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje, a co-headliner pitting middleweight contender David Branch against rising finisher Jack Hermansson, a featherweight scrap pitting former lightweight standout Michael Johnson against Team Alpha Male bruiser Josh Emmett, and a women’s strawweight affair between former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz and the always entertaining “Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson, there will be a lot to talk about after the action winds down.

The post-fight presser is scheduled to go live at 10:15 p.m. ET, and feature the biggest winners and losers from the card.

For complete UFC Philadelphia results and coverage click here.