Fitting display for an occasion that should set a tasty scene.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will face off for the first time since the Brooklyn bus attack, in April, when they front the UFC 229 press conference [10pm Irish, 5pm local] in New York this Thursday.
The briefing will feature UFC president Dana White and some select fighters from the main card but most eyes will be on McGregor and Nurmagomedov, the lightweight champion. There will be a sizeable media presence and entourages from both main eventers but this event is not open to the public.
The promotion is presumably playing it safe after the shit-show that was UFC 223 – when McGregor and SBG teammate Cian Cowley attacked a bus carrying Nurmagomedov – so this one will have a heavy security presence.
Fight fans in The Big Apple need not despair, however. The UFC is hosting a viewing party in Times Square. The party will be held on Silvercast’s 330-foot Mega-Zilla – ‘the world’s largest TV screen’ – on the block at Broadway between 45th and 46th streets.
While this act, and the crowds that will flock to watch the conference unfolding, further demonstrate the drawing power of McGregor, he is not the first sports star to get the Mega-Zilla treatment. During the 2018 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal were shown in action – playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw – against Spain.
On fight week itself, in Las Vegas, open workouts, the pre-fight press conference, and the ceremonial weigh-ins will be open to the public.
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington has, meanwhile, invited the winner of the UFC 229 main event to step up in weight class and fight him later this year. He commented:
“You’d think that Khabib is going to go forward, take him down, press and break him, but McGregor has shown he’s got that little step off left hand; he’s got a big left hand.
“He can knock anybody out. He lives for these big moments so it is tough to bet against him… they’re at the little boys’ weight class but if they want to step up, they can come holler at me and try make history.”
We’d watch that too!
