2 months ago
2 It has been two years since the blockbuster main event of UFC 229 exploded into life and left an indelible mark on the sport of MMA.
Conor McGregor returned from his self-imposed hiatus after making millions boxing Floyd Mayweather in an attempt to topple the mighty Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Russian remained undefeated and undisputed as he retained his lightweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a dominant display over ‘The Notorious’ to choke him out in the fourth round.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov seem destined to fight again one day after their lucrative first bout at UFC 229Getty Images - Getty
Before the mass brawl erupted outside of the octagon, only one man had the pleasure of seeing the combatants trade blow of blow in Sin City; referee Herb Dean.
The American was criticised by Khabib and his team for allegedly failing to penalise McGregor for several blatant fouls.
Yet it mattered little in the end, as Dean told Joe Rogan on his podcast shortly after the lopsided mauling exactly what the champion was telling his bitter rival whilst he was pummelling him into the canvas.
“He talks the whole time,” Dean said. “Right from the beginning he is talking.”
Khabib battered the Irishman into a state of submission after three-and-a-half brutal roundsUSA TODAY Sports
The Russian was famously caught on camera saying to McGregor, ‘let’s talk now’, whilst he had the former two-weight champion in stacked guard as he rained punches down upon him.
At the end of the second round, a bloodied and bruised McGregor told Khabib ‘it’s only business’, which only seemed to incentivise the champion further.
After jumping over the fence to attack McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, Khabib admitted at the press conference afterwards he was apologetic for his actions, but could not understand why the Irishman was allowed to get away with the things he had said in the build-up to the fight.
“What’s up, guys? I want to say sorry to the athletic commission, sorry to Vegas,” said Nurmagomedov.
Dillon Danis bore the brunt of an attack by Khabib outside of the octagonGetty Images - Getty
“This is not my best side, I’m a human being and I don’t know how people can talk about me jumping out the cage.
“What about him talking about my family, my religion, the bus? Why are people talking about me jumping over the cage? My father talks to me about respect.
“They call him a two-time champion, two-weight world champion but he taps. People, the media change MMA. This is a respect sport, not a trash talking sport. Guys, you cannot talk about religion. This stuff is important.
“I know my father is going to smash me when I go home, Nevada, sorry, Vegas, sorry. Thank you so much, I am very proud.
“[Vladimir] Putin just called me and told me he’s very proud of me, he said congratulations. I said everything was going to change on October 6th.”
It is not the first time Khabib has spoken to his opponent midway through a beating, his 2016 meeting at UFC 205 against Michael Johnson was another prime example.
Khabib told Johnson: “You have to give up now. I need to fight for the title, you know I deserve this.”
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