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Former UFC two-weight champion Conor McGregor didn’t face the press after his loss to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 on Saturday but called for a rematch on social media hours after the post-fight brawl.
The Notorious tweeted out this short message:
McGregor finally made his return to the Octagon after an absence of nearly two years and lost to the undefeated Nurmagomedov by rear-naked choke in the fourth round. The Russian had dominated large stretches of the fight up until that point.
Chaos ensued after the fight was called. Nurmagomedov jumped out of the cage to fight members of McGregor’s team, and the Notorious was attacked by several men inside the Octagon, per BBC Sport.
UFC President Dana White opted not to hand Nurmagomedov his belt inside the Octagon and the post-fight press conference took place without the Notorious. The winner’s appearance lasted less than three minutes (warning: strong language):
SportsCenter @SportsCenter
Khabib Nurmagomedov addressed the media and apologized to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the altercation after he defeated Conor McGregor. https://t.co/VyRtCt8YmQ
Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier weighed in on the scenes after the event:
Daniel Cormier @dc_mma
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
The brawl largely overshadowed what was an excellent title fight. Nurmagomedov looked rather comfortable for much of the scrap but did struggle with McGregor’s movement at times.
Per journalist Adam Hill, all judges gave the Notorious one round, marking the first time in the Russian’s career he definitively lost a round:
Adam Hill @AdamHillLVRJ
Nurmagomedov was up 29-27 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Same score I had, FWIW. That means Nurmagomedov lost the 3rd round, marking the first round he has lost in the UFC
Former interim champion Tony Ferguson beat Anthony Pettis in the co-main event to give himself a chance at the title. The 34-year-old hasn’t lost since 2012 and only injuries have kept him from competing for the undisputed strap.
Per the BBC, Nurmagomedov will be subject of an investigation from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his role in the post-fight brawl. The outcome of that investigation will likely determine the short-term future of the lightweight division.
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have their own rivalry despite never facing each other in the Octagon. As reported by Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena, the two have been booked to face each other four times.
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