![]() Tony Ferguson (left) and Anthony Pettis John Locher/Associated Press I'm not marketing major, but I'm thinking that's not a great outcome. At the very least, Nurmagomedov took a marquee event and a marquee star-and himself-and made a bunch of dog food out of all of it. If what he did is found to be in violation of laws, here's hoping he is held to account. Here's hoping the UFC and every other relevant party approaches it accordingly. This isn't a brilliant ploy to attract more eyeballs. There's no "what about" that would seems to justify starting a melee. McGregor is not what you'd call an innocent party.īut Nurmagomedov did not take a "heel turn" here. Nurmagomedov clearly took McGregor's trash talk personally. There will be plenty more on this in the days and weeks to come. This was published minutes after the main event ended. The broadcasters tried to soften the blow, suggesting, as color man Dominick Cruz did, that this is just what happens with "the fight game." Jumping into crowds to fight people and hitting people who aren't prepared to be hit doesn't feel like the fight game to me. As far as fighting goes, Nurmagomedov is as great as we thought.īut then he did this. Only McGregor's granite chin saved him from a TKO loss. About how he hit the takedowns he wanted and brutalized McGregor from the top. I had words queued up about the brilliance of Nurmagomedov's performance. The two biggest crowd reactions during the main event: when it was clear the champ wasn't getting his belt, and when it pelted him with things. Some spectators threw cups and their liquid contents onto his head. ![]() Nurmagomedov exited under security far heavier than that of McGregor. UFC President Dana White refused to put the belt on Nurmagomedov, sending the champion into fits. McGregor was ushered away with heavy security. He seemed to think he had done something good, or at least not reprehensible. Meanwhile, some of Nurmagomedov's associates jumped into the cage and went after McGregor. He blindsided Danis and threw multiple shots. Then he jumped over the cage fence and went into the stands to attack Dillon Danis, one of McGregor's training partners. But no one's talking about that.Īfter the win, Nurmagomedov screamed some choice words at McGregor. Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight title, pulling off a rear-naked choke on McGregor in the fourth round. Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) and Conor McGregor John Locher/Associated Press These are the real winners and losers from UFC 229.įor the literal-minded among us, full-card results appear at the end. So what happened? And what about the co-main event, a key lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis? How about the rest of the 12-fight card?Īs always, the final stat lines do not reveal all. (He eventually pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for the bus incident.)Ĭome fight night, Nurmagomedov's relentless takedowns and ultra-aggressive ground and clinch games made him a small betting favorite over McGregor and his stand-up attack, according to OddsShark. During that time, he famously boxed Floyd Mayweather Jr., threw a hand truck at a bus that contained Nurmagomedov and was never far from the public eye. It's been nearly two years since McGregor fought in an MMA cage. On the lightweight side, the beneficiary was Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated Russian dynamo who held the 155-pound strap heading into Saturday's event. McGregor once held the featherweight and lightweight titles but was stripped of both for inactivity. We'll get to that, but first let's cue up the main event. It was a sad and surreal day for a sport that didn't need or deserve such things. With McGregor on the ticket, MMA is destination television. ![]() Nothing else makes sense as a starting point. Khabib Nurmagomedov Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty ImagesĬonor McGregor returned to the UFC Octagon Saturday night at UFC 229 in Las Vegas.
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