Khabib Nurmagomedov Describes UFC 229 Fight Versus Conor McGregor, Post-Fight Riot, And Possible NSAC Sanctions
After months of provocations and insults, Khabib Nurmagomedov finally got the chance to teach Conor McGregor a lesson when they met for a UFC Lightweight belt at the main event of UFC 229 on October 6, 2018.
The undefeated Dagestani defeated Conor via fourth-round submission. But during the fight, “Eagle” was punishing “The Notorious” with a flurry of brutal ground and pound strikes. Khabib even knocked the Irishman down with a weaving overhand right during a stand up exchange in the second round!
Conor McGregor was talking a lot of trash before their UFC 229 clash, and even involved Khabib’s father, religion, and country. It’s no surprise that Khabib Nurmagomedov really enjoyed the experience of bashing big mouth Irishman.
The undefeated Dagestani spoke about “a superb feeling of punching McGregor’s face” during a recent Q&A session in Melbourne, Australia. (h/t bloodyelbow.com)
“I enjoyed this, when I punched his face. This is a very good feeling, believe me, when someone talks sh-t all the time,” Nurmagomedov said. “Every time I punched his face, I enjoyed. I asked him, ‘Hey, let’s talk.’ But at the end of the second or third round, he said ‘This is just business.’ He tried to make me relax.”
“This is not sparring session. We’re gonna keep going, you know,” he continued. “Maybe he don’t understand my English, I think.”
After the fight, ‘The Eagle’ leaped over the fence to deal with Dillon Danis. It quickly escalated into a big riot, and several team members from both camps were involved. Here are Khabib’s thoughts on the wild incident.
“I lost control a little bit,” he said. “We talk with father before the fight, (and he said) ‘We have to be relaxed, don’t listen to him. Just do your thing.’ And when my father tried to smash me (after the brawl), I told him, ‘Hey, we didn’t talk about after the fight. We only talked about before the fight, so what are we gonna do?’
“But it is what is, it’s what’s happened.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission hasn’t decided about the penalties for both athletes, and others that took part in the incident yet. But it looks like “Eagle” expects a long sentence.
“I have a court (date) for January 29th, and we’ll see,” Khabib said in another interview. “Maybe they’re gonna give me nine months or one-year disqualification. And if I don’t fight all year, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, who’s gonna be my next opponent.”
Did you enjoy watching Khabib Nurmagomedov landing powerful punches to McGregor’s face?
