Morning Report: Miesha Tate on Conor McGregor’s alleged cell-phone destruction: ‘It’s the price of fame’

MMAfighting.com

Early this week, Conor McGregor made headlines when he was arrested for charges of strong-armed robbery, a second-degree felony, and criminal mischief, a third-degree felony, following an alleged incident outside of the nightclub Liv, in Miami, Florida. McGregor allegedly smashed and stomped on a fan’s phone outside of the nightclub, before taking the phone with him when he left.

Aside from garnering headlines, the incident also raised criticism from many in the MMA community, including former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.

“You can’t do that,” Tate told MMA Tonight recently. “You cannot take someone’s phone. They can take pictures of you if they want, unfortunately. It’s annoying. I’ve had the selfies – people think they’re being slick, they’re in a restaurant and they’re taking selfies and you just roll your eyes – but it’s not breaking the law, and it’s not illegal. It’s annoying, but it’s not crossing the line.”

Tate knows a thing or two about the unfortunate aspects of fame. Even before she became the UFC bantamweight champion, Tate was a star in her own right, having been featured in ESPN Magazine’s “Body” issue and just generally being one of the biggest stars in the sport. Her level of fame never rose to the global phenomenon of McGregor’s but she says that just means there’s more of an onus on McGregor to keep his cool.

“He is a megastar,” Tate said. “He has made himself into one of the most recognizable faces, almost globally but for sure nationwide, and he’s making millions and millions and millions of dollars. He’s created that. So, what I think is that this fan was out of line, he was disrespectful, and probably should’ve had a little more common sense to respect the space of Conor. With that being said, I guarantee you that guy’s bought every single one of Conor McGregor’s pay-per-views.

“So figure it out, Conor. Do you appreciate your fans, all of them, the ones that are making you rich, or not? Blow the guy off. That’s kind of what you have to do. It’s the price of fame. . . It’s the unfortunate thing that megastars and super famous people have to learn to put up with and Conor’s no exception. You cannot take someone’s phone and smash it.”

The price of fame may also be $15,000 as that’s how much the alleged victim is suing McGregor for. This is the second bout of legal trouble for McGregor in the past year, as last April, McGregor turned himself into authorities and was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief for attacking a bus at UFC 223 media day. McGregor ultimately agreed to a plea deal, pleading guilty to one count of disorderly conduct and undergoing five days of community service, 1-3 days of an anger management evaluation, and paying restitution for the damage he inflicted.