UFC229: Khabib win vs McGregor tarnished by post-match brawl
Conor McGregor challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC229, a mixed martial arts event, on October 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada. This fight was one of the most anticipated events in UFC history. It set a new attendance record with 20,034 fans in the Arena (Wikipedia). However, the match was tainted by a post-match brawl between Khabib and his team’s attack on and McGregor and his coaching staff.
The world’s attention was captured by the events that occurred in the aftermath of the match. Khabib shocked the world when he jumped out of the fighting ring, charged towards, and then assaulted McGregor’s coaching staff. While this occurred, three members of Khabib’s team climbed into the ring and targeted McGregor, landing several punches. It seemed like a coordinated attack on McGregor and his team. Chaos ensued in the Arena, as punches were exchanged and various objects were thrown from the stands. Reports look to the pre-match press conference as a potential cause for inciting this massive brawl, since McGregor made provocative comments regarding Khabib’s religion, country, and family (CBC). Norman Situ (11A) placed the blame solely on Khabib. “It doesn’t matter what McGregor said, you’re allowed to say what you want to say. And the whole point is to put fear, and threaten the other person during press [conferences]. It’ll be [best to only use] words, instead of jumping other people and going over the fence and punching coaches. That’s way over the line.” On the contrary, Jason Lee (12C) was considerate of both perspectives. “In McGregor’s point of view, he tries to hype the fight up by insulting the opponent and to make the sales go up, but to Khabib, everything was personal. He took all the insults personally, so this brawl was inevitable.”
Going into the match, fans across the globe were brimming with excitement, seeing these two highly competitive and successful athletes clash against each other. Norman stated, “It’s one of the biggest fights in the past century.” Jason clarified that Conor McGregor’s name was the reason why the event generated the anticipation that it had, saying, “Conor McGregor is pretty much the face of UFC. [Every] match that he is in, it’s very exciting, especially [how he trash-talks] his opponents before [games]. It intensifies the games before it starts.” The match itself, however, received a mixed reception. “Khabib kept on grabbing McGregor. It was just two men, rolled up in a ball in the corner. It could have been [more] fun if they [exchanged] more shots and punches,” explained Norman. He also felt that McGregor’s hiatus from MMA activity could have factored into his performance, exclaiming, “[These fights] require training and practice. You can’t just chill out for a few months and come back and fight Khabib who is also a really good fighter in the MMA.” Jason, on the other hand, credited Khabib’s preferred fighting style in nullifying McGregor’s attacks. “[Khabib’s] main style is wrestling, and to a lot of people, the fight seemed boring…but I think it was a fair fight.”
Khabib was escorted by coaches and the police from the Arena Photo courtesy of Readmma.com
In reaction to this altercation, both Khabib and McGregor have been handed 10-day bans from UFC. But recently, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has ruled that their bans have been extended indefinitely (Independent). Both Jason and Norman were in agreement that they were doubtful that the bans will be imposed on the athletes. “You can’t really justify a [potential] life ban. At the very most ban them for a year or two, that would be harsh enough. They do make a living out of fighting, and the crowd loves the entertainment, so there’s no point,” stated Norman. Jason added, “McGregor is essentially the face of UFC, so they wouldn’t ban their champion, [because he increases sales]. I think they’re just going to get a “quick slap on the wrist.”
Featured Image – Khabib and McGregor trade blows Courtesy of mmajunkie.com
by Tomoko Hasegawa