The nasty side of mixed martial arts reared its head after the main event of UFC 229.
Khabib Nurmagomedov came out on top in the biggest UFC fight of all time by submitting Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their lightweight title fight but it was the moments after the bout that will make all the headlines.
After Nurmagomedov drew the tap from ‘The Notorious’ with a neck crank in the penultimate round, he jumped the fence to confront McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, who had proclaimed himself a better grappler than Nurmagomedov in the build-up to Saturday night’s grudge match.
A member of Nurmagomedov’s team then rushed to attack McGregor and connected with a sucker punch in one of the most disgusting acts ever seen at a UFC event.
Disgusting. #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/bfRMnM6YwL
— Darragh Murphy (@DarrMurphy) October 7, 2018
A lengthy delay followed as the Octagon was rushed by fighters, security and UFC President Dana White.
Neither McGregor nor Nurmagomedov was in the cage when Bruce Buffer announced the winner because White feared that fans would riot if they saw the belt wrapped around Nurmagomedov’s waist after the brawl.
Given the reputation that MMA has among certain individuals and the potential that the UFC 229 headliner had to showcase the skills involved in high-level combat sports, the post-fight nonsense likely sets the sport back years.
Khabib, who had acquitted himself well all week long, severely damaged his reputation after his actions and will probably face a great deal of punishment as a result of this.
