Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC 229
In one of the most highly anticipated fights in UFC history, former lightweight champion Conor McGregor faced current champ The Eagle Khabib Nurmagomedov for the title at UFC 229. In McGregor’s first fight back in mixed martial arts since taking on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. The former champion looked to regain his 155 lb title from the current man at the top.
With the now infamous pre-fight build-up, we always knew this was going to be an emotional affair. And from the getgo, as both fighters entered the UFC octagon, we could already see the evidence of this. As security separating both fighters from one another before the start of the fight in a throwback to Tyson vs Lewis. The optics for this massive lightweight championship were there for all to see.
Khabib vs Conor round One
With no touch of the gloves, the fight finally got underway. And from the very beginning, the clash in styles became apparent. With the striker McGregor trying to initiate exchanges, while Khabib using his Sambo wanted to get the fight to the ground. Using his superior grappling to control and suffocate the McGregor gameplan.
Khabib continued to control Conor from the top throughout the round, not allowing him to get back up and use any of his striking. And the rest of the first round continued like this with the champion dominating from the top. Landing some shots, but not any significant damage and the pair separated at the buzzer.
Round two
Round two starts on the feet with McGregor moving in to land some kicks and punches, but Khabib is not there. Then at twenty-three-seconds in, Khabib lands a huge right hand that sends McGregor stumbling backwards and to the canvas. As the two exchange shots, once again the champion shoots in and gets Conor to the ground, continuing on from where he left off in round one.
As Khabib continued to inflict damage from the top, around halfway through the round he began talking to McGregor. And while we cannot clearly hear what he is saying, we can see that Khabib is now enjoying beating up his opponent from the top position. This continues for the remainder of the round, giving the champion a possible 10 – 8 on the scorecards.
ROUND Three
The fight begins to look a little different in the third, with Nurmagomedov attempting a takedown which is stopped by Conor. McGregor then begins to land more consistently as he and Khabib stand in the centre of the octagon and exchange strikes. As towards the end of the round, Khabib gets Conor to the fence where they stay until the bell.
ROUND four KHABIB VS CONOR
Round four Conor vs Khabib and the champion immediately gets McGregor to the ground. Landing some ground and pound, Khabib goes for a head and arm triangle which McGregor escapes. But this leads into a back mount position where Nurmagomedov sinks in a neck crank across the jaw of McGregor. Forcing him to tap out at 3:03 of the fourth round.
As Khabib rises to his feet he immediately begins to point and shout at the corner of McGregor. And then proceeds to jump the cage and into the crowd, seeking to take on Jiu-jitsu coach Dillon Danis. Who we later find out had been verbally abusing Khabib during the fight. A melee ensued involving both camps with people jumping into the cage and Conor McGregor being hit by one of Khabib’s teammates.
One of the biggest fights in the history of the sport, unceremoniously ending with one of the biggest post-fight brawls in sports history. But with so much pre-fight verbal and physical altercations leading up to the event itself. It’s little wonder that there was such an outpouring of emotion and anger once the final buzzer had sounded.
When was the McGregor khabib fight?
UFC 229 took place on October 16th, 2018, live from the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. With 20,000 and gate revenue of $17,188,894.67. The pay per view for the event saw 2.4 million buys, making it the highest-earning PPV card in the history of the Ultimate Fighting championships.
khabib nurmagomedov vs conor mcgregor 2
Much has been spoken about in relation to a second fight, but it is not something the champion Khabib is all that interested in. He believes that when there are fighters who have earned their title shot. Conor McGregor should not be able to simply jump the queue and get another opportunity to fight for the lightweight title.
But as long as Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the 155 lb UFC champion of the world. And while Conor McGregor is waiting in the wings. We will always have him calling for another shot at is nemesis. With no love lost between the two, so long as things stay as they are. There can be little doubting that at some point we once again see Khabib vs Conor 2 somewhere down the road.