The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor reached its boiling point at UFC 229, but the action didn’t stop when the final bell rang. Khabib’s fourth-round submission victory led to an unforgettable post-fight brawl, and former UFC champ Daniel Cormier found himself right in the middle of the chaos.
Cormier, a close friend and teammate of Khabib, had chosen not to commentate on the fight due to their relationship. Instead, he bought front-row tickets for himself and his family, spending a hefty $10,000 to witness the historic showdown.
Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov(26-0) vs “The Notorious” Conor Mcgregor(21-3)
UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor
October 6th 2018
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— Underrated Tribal Chief (@MMAUnderrated) January 13, 2025
Cormier’s Unexpected Role in the Chaos
“I was in the building sitting in the front row with my family,” Cormier recalled. “This was such a hot ticket, I bought tickets for me, my wife and my two kids, $10,000 for tickets to sit right next to the Octagon.”
When Khabib leaped out of the cage to go after McGregor’s team, chaos erupted inside and outside the Octagon. Seeing the melee unfold, Cormier knew he had to act.
“When the fight happens, I jump over the Octagon to go and fight and then immediately I catch my head and go, ‘I have to stop these guys,’” Cormier explained. “I start stopping the fight, I calm Khabib down, I get him to leave the Octagon.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCzeyg774Vs&ab_channel=SmileB4DEATH
Dana White’s Quick Decision to Refund Cormier
Dana White, realizing the situation could have spiraled out of control, was grateful for Cormier’s involvement. To show his appreciation, he decided to refund the entire amount Cormier had spent on tickets.
“He gave me all my money back,” Cormier said. “He goes, ‘Without you here, we would’ve been in some crazy trouble.’ Because Khabib wanted his belt, Dana goes, ‘If we put the belt on this man in here right now, we are going to have a riot.’”
But Cormier wasn’t the only unexpected presence inside the Octagon. In the midst of the madness, a random fan had managed to get past security and make his way inside the cage.
“I was in the Octagon after holding Khabib and it was such a ruckus,” Cormier shared. “A fan was in the cage, some guy jumped over and was like, ‘Where’s Conor? Is Conor OK?’ Some fan is behind me yelling, ‘Is Conor OK?’ I’m like, somebody get this dude out of here, man.”
UFC 229 remains one of the wildest nights in MMA history, not just for the fight itself but for the mayhem that followed. Thanks to Cormier’s quick thinking, things didn’t spiral even further—but as history shows, the bad blood between Khabib and McGregor never really faded.
