Khabib Nurmagomedov had a score to settle but must be rubbed out
KHABIB Nurmagomedov was never going to end his feud with Conor McGregor inside the octagon, and has to be rubbed out for a long time after his ugly post-fight antics, writes ALEX OATES.
Boxing/MMA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT was always going to end badly.
These two were never going to settle the UFC’s most bitter feud inside the octagon.
For Khabib Nurmagomedov, this was payback.
This was retribution for years of disrespect.
This was justice for that fateful bus attack in Brooklyn.
MMA FALLOUT: ‘THEY’RE IN BIG TROUBLE, IT’LL BE UGLY’
UNSEEN FOOTAGE: DID CONOR THROW THE FIRST PUNCH?
‘UNIMAGINABLE’: WORLD REACTS TO UFC CHAOS
Nurmagomedov was never going to be satisfied with victory over Conor McGregor.
Not even a fourth-round neck crank could appease the Russian. He wanted blood.
He taunted the Irishman while he was on his hands and knees in defeat, desperate to catch his breathe.
And he wanted a piece of McGregor’s teammates.
This was a targeted attack.
Nurmagomedov went searching for Dillon Danis in the corner. He found him, pelting his mouth guard through the mesh of the cage.
In an instant, Nurmagomedov was hurdling the cage.
All hell had broken loose inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
This was a man possessed. Months of anger had bottled up inside.
As Nurmagomedov explained at the post UFC 229 press conference, this just wasn’t about the lightweight belt.
It was about settling a score, getting even in more ways than one.
Nurmagomedov was fighting for his country, his family and the teammates that were hurt in the bus attack when McGregor violently jammed a trolley through the window.
“I know this is not my best side. This is not my best side,” Nurmagomedov said in the press conference.
“I’m human being. I no understand how people can talk about I jump on the cage, you know. What about: he talk about my religion, he talk about my country, he talk about my father. He come to Brooklyn and he broke bus. He almost killed a couple people. What about this? What about this sh--?”
But what happened in the aftermath was ugly. Disgusting.
It was enough to make UFC president Dana White “sick”.
It was a blight on the sport.
In some regards, McGregor needed to be taught a lesson. Some would say “he had it coming”.
But no-one deserves the treatment that McGregor copped post fight.
No-one should be sucker-punched to the back of the head by anyone, let alone a member of the opposition team, while you process a gut-wrenching loss.
No-one should have to defend themselves from unrelenting attacks after the final bell.
There will be severe repercussions.
Nurmagomedov never received the belt immediately after the fight. And while he wore it at the press conference, it may not stay in his possession.
The UFC has the right to strip him of the coveted strap.
It might seem harsh, but Dana White must make a stand.
At the very least, Nurmagomedov must be suspended … for a long time.
If precedent is any guide, he will only cop a slap on the wrist.
McGregor got away with murder (figuratively speaking) for a series of unsavoury incidents.
There was no penalty for when he stormed the Bellator cage during a bout between Charlie Ward and John Redmond back in November, pushing referee Marc Goddard and slapping Bellator employee Mike Johnson.
Nor when McGregor and a group of about 20 others were let into the Barclays Center and later targeted a slow-moving bus carrying Rose Namajunas, Al Iaquinta, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa on the eve of UFC 223, smashing the window and injuring some of the fighters.
McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief as well as menacing and reckless endangerment.
He was released on $50,000 bail and ordered to perform five days of community service and attend anger management classes.
But there were no penalties from the UFC.
With that in mind, the UFC morally can’t throw the book at Nurmagomedov.
But Nurmagomedov must be rubbed out for 6-12 months.
That’s cruel for a the fans, who already want a rematch, but enough is enough.
Originally published as Khabib Nurmagomedov had a score to settle but must be rubbed out