Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 12 March 2019
MMA fighter Conor French musher was leading

McGregor arrested Iditarod, but then his dogs quit

in South Florida trust and experience you

have with your dogs is how
it all happens and comes
By DAVID FISCHER together, and Nic Petit
MIAMI (AP) — Mixed mar- happens to actually be
tial artist and boxer Conor one of the best in the busi-
McGregor has been arrest- ness at this," Riddles said.
ed in South Florida for steal- Riddle been involved with
ing the cellphone of some- mushing for 40 years and
one who was trying to take said she could live 20 life-
his photo, authorities said. times and not learn every-
According to a Miami thing. But if the dogs get
Beach police report, the unhappy, they can quit on
30-year-old McGregor was you, she said.
arrested Monday after- "Sometimes all it takes is
noon and charged with just this one sour grape in
robbery and criminal mis- the team," Riddles said.
chief. An attorney for Mc- This photo provided by the "One dog that has a bad
Miami-Dade Corrections and
Gregor called the alterca- Rehabilitation Department attitude, and it infects the
tion "minor" and said the shows Conor McGregor. whole rest of the team."
popular fighter would co- Associated Press Huskies in some ways are
operate with authorities. Nicolas Petit hugs one of his dogs before they leave Unalak- more primitive than other
McGregor was leaving Samuel J. Rabin Jr., a Mi- leet, Alaska, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, dogs, she said. Mushers
the Fontainebleau Miami ami-based attorney repre- March 10, 2019. Associated Press are dealing with their pack
Beach shortly after 5 a.m. senting McGregor, said in a mentality.
Monday when a 22-year- statement. "Mr. McGregor By MARK THIESSEN Associ- 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) "It's like a wolf. Things hap-
old man attempted to take appreciates the response ated Press race across Alaska. pen over food. Sometimes
a picture of McGregor, the of law enforcement and ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Petit said his dogs are well- if they think a dog is a little
police report said. Police pledges his full coopera- — French musher Nicolas fed, and there's no medical wimpy, when they're crab-
said McGregor slapped tion." Petit looked like he was in issue keeping them from by, they might want to pick
the phone out of the man's McGregor, who's from Ire- solid control of the world's getting up and running. on it," she said.
hand and then stomped land, is the former UFC most famous sled dog race "It's just a head thing," he Petit will learn from the ex-
on it several times. Mc- featherweight and light- and about to erase a year said. "We'll see if one of perience and rebuild, she
Gregor then grabbed the weight champion and of doubts and second- these dog teams coming said.
phone and left the area, one of the biggest draws guessing after a last minute by will wake them up at all." "I think Nic is handling this
the report said. Police later in MMA. He returned to misstep cost him the 2017 People for the Ethical Treat- pretty well, actually. I think
found McGregor at his lo- UFC last fall after a hia- title. ment of Animals took issue he wants to make sure to
cal address. tus during which he made Then the dogs quit on him with Petit's reasoning. preserve a good mental
McGregor was being held his boxing debut, a loss to Monday morning. "It's not the dogs who need attitude with these dogs
on $12,500 bail. Floyd Mayweather. He was A dog named Joey had to have their heads exam- for the rest of their careers.
"Last evening Conor Mc- suspended from UFC for six been fighting with anoth- ined — it's anyone who That's what he's looking at
Gregor was involved in a months and fined $50,000 er dog on the team and supports this merciless race. — not just today's race,"
minor altercation involving for a brawl after his loss to jumped it during a break Illness, injury, or fatigue like- Riddles said.
a cellphone that resulted in Khabib Nurmagomedov in as the team was making ly prompted Nicolas Petit For Petit, it's another bad
a call to law enforcement," October.q its way to the Iditarod Trail to drop four dogs from his memory from the stretch
Barguil out of Paris- Sled Dog Race checkpoint team, forcing the remain- between the Shaktoolik
of Koyuk on the Bering Sea ing 10 to work even harder and Koyuk checkpoints.
before they gave up alto-
He was in command of last
coast.
Nice race with "I yelled at Joey, and ev- gether, which he blamed year's race when he got off
erybody heard the yelling, on 'just a head thing,'" PETA trail during a blizzard and
and that doesn't happen," Executive Vice President lost the lead. He wound
fractured vertebra Petit told the Iditarod In- Tracy Reiman said in a up finishing second behind
Ulsom. "Something about
sider website. "And then statement.
they wouldn't go anymore. But Libby Riddles, the 1985 right here, huh?" he mused.
PARIS (AP) — French cyclist newegen. Anywhere. So we camped Iditarod champion and the The race started March 2 in
Warren Barguil has been His team, Arkea-Samsic, here." first woman to win the race, Willow, just north of Anchor-
taken to the hospital with says Barguil briefly lost con- Several mushers passed said the incident demon- age. The course through
a fractured vertebra after sciousness and was diag- Petit's team on the trail, strates why dog mushing is the Alaska wilderness took
a serious crash during the nosed with a double frac- erasing his five-hour lead a fine art. It requires a bal- mushers over two moun-
Paris-Nice race on Mon- ture of the second cervical in the race. Pete Kaiser of ance between being com- tain ranges and the frozen
day. vertebra. Alaska was the first musher petitive and keeping the Yukon River before they
Barguil, who won the won It is unclear how long Bar- into Koyuk, followed about dogs happy. reached the treacherous
the Tour de France's King guil will be sidelined. Arkea- an hour later by defend- "People have this idea Bering Sea coast.
of the Mountains jersey in Samsic general manager ing champion Joar Ulsom that you can force these The winner is expected
2017 as the best climber, Emmanuel Hubert told lo- of Norway. Kaiser rested dogs to Nome," she said in to come off the sea ice
was involved in a crash 59 cal media Barguil's injury "is for nearly 5 ½ hours before a phone interview. "It's not and mush down Nome's
kilometers (36.6 miles) into very annoying but he will getting back on the trail. like that at all." main street to the finish line
the second stage won by recover soon and he will The checkpoint is 827 miles "The amount of intuition sometime in the middle of
race leader Dylan Groe- be very fine."q (1,330 kilometers) into the and communication and the week.q