Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov shook up the MMA world at UFC 229 on October 7, 2018. In his 27th bout in the promotion, he submitted Conor McGregor to come out as the undisputed victor in the grudge match. The pundits did expect a win on similar lines for the Russian, going by his pressure-style of wrestling. What they did not foresee was the vicious brawl that took place after the bout.
Six years after the infamous brawl, UFC referee Herb Dean, who mediated the fight, recollected the moments and his initial thoughts, while talking to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson on his Jaxxon podcast.
“He’s (Khabib Nurmagomedov) holding on to the choke. I get him to let go, he’s still on him. I’m kind of standing in between him and then he’s like, all of a sudden he’s over there talking to somebody else… And then once it started I mean the first minute I tried to I think I probably tried to chase him to try to keep him from going out or something but then once it got to that point, I’m like, this is beyond my job. This is everybody else’s job now. My job is done,” recalled Dean.
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After submitting the Irishman in the fourth round through a vicious neck crank, the Russian, took a smack at his rival, before heading straight to McGregor’s corner. Dean, who was trying his best to keep things under control in the cage, saw Nurmagomedov talking to somebody in Conor‘s corner.
The referee rushed to Nurmagomedov, trying to hold him back. However, in a split second, the Dagestani propped out of the cage, and jumped onto Dillon Danis, starting the brawl. Dean had kept things under control through the bout despite the history of bad blood between the two fighters. The referee felt powerless after it, watching the whole arena erupt into a frenzy beatdown.
Following the violent incident, the promotion along with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) slapped both the fighters with monetary fines, and suspended them.
NSAC’s post-fight review and disciplinary action
Even though the win against Conor extended his streak to 27-0, Nurmagomedov’s act of climbing out of the Octagon to attack members of the crowd put his achievement into disrepute. The vicious melee that followed prompted the state athletic commission to take action. Besides the fines that were slapped on both the fighters, Nurmagomedov was handed a more severe punishment. After all, he had attacked multiple people in the arena, including McGregor’s cornerman.
‘The Notorious’ was fined $50,000 and was suspended for climbing the fence and for exchanging punches with Bubakar Nurmagomedov — Khabib’s cousin. The Russian, for his role in the brawl, received a penalty of $500,000.
While both the fighters were banned from competing, the Russian got the worst — banned for nine months as opposed to a six-month ban for the Irish fighter.
Currently, Nurmagomedov is coaching teammates, filling his late father’s shoes. He retired from the sport with an unblemished 29-0 record.
McGregor, on the other hand, is set to return to the Octagon some time next year, or so the speculation goes.
