Conor McGregor escorted out of the arena following his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Photo / Getty
Conor McGregor escorted out of the arena following his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Photo / Getty
A shocking post-match brawl marred the UFC's night of nights as victorious champion Khabib Nurmagomedov launched himself at Conor McGregor's camp after choking the Irishman out.
UFC President Dana White said he was "disgusted" at the scenes which will forever haunt the promotion. White said the build-up to UFC 229was the ugliest he'd seen as the pair traded barbs. The finish was even uglier.
Nurmagomedov proved McGregor's prediction of an easy knockout false as he rushed the former champ and barrelled him to the ground early in the first round. From there it was an uphill battle until Khabib forced a tap out from the humbled star in the fourth round.
"He should have just took his win, took his belt, like a man," lightweight rival Tony Ferguson said. "I'm upset, I'm appalled."
Khabib Nurmagomedov after being involved in a brawl with Conor McGregor's teammate. Photo / Getty
Amid the confusion, two members of the Russian's team attacked McGregor. As one confronted him head-on and threw a punch, another leapt into the cage and sucker-punched him from behind. "That was disgusting," commentator Joe Rogan said. "It's so incredibly disappointing."
Sad. Straight up sad. I’m speechless. The biggest night in UFC history is damaged. I feel bad for Conor, Dana, UFC, and most of all for Khabib. He’s worked his entire life for this moment. One millisecond of emotion ruined it all. #UFC229
Another historical night. Amazing atmosphere, technical fight with excitement all the way thru. All that makes MMA a great sport. Shame about the ending. On to the next one.
Hey guys, two wrongs don’t make it right. Conor didn’t deserve that. No one did. But some things aren’t for fight promotion. Religion, family, country. Throwing stuff in Brooklyn. For Khabib it wasn’t fight promotion, it was really personal. Diff culture man. Sucks
UFC president Dana White later revealed three men have been arrested and are being taken to jail. The man who jumped into the cage is reportedly Zubaira Tukhugov, a Russian-born mixed martial artist who currently fights in the UFC featherweight division.
"I don't even know what to say right now, I'm just disgusted and sick over it," White said.
He said McGregor was not hurt. "He's upset about the fight," White said. "Not about the fight after the fight."
"There's a lot of repercussions for what they did tonight," White added.
That was 100% worse than Nashville. Disgusting. Not sure who lit up Conor from up here but that was criminal. Horrible, horrible ending.
This is what happens when you stoke religious and ethnic tension as part of the promotion for an MMA fight. Unfortunately, this is not likely to end here #UFC229
You have a dominant, ass whooping performance and make the biggest name in your sport submit...them you act like a total asshole and cause chaos and contribute to a near riot. You hurt your career and your sport. #KhabibMcGregor
