Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to face punishment for the UFC 229 brawl where he left the ring to attack Conor McGregor teammate Dillon Danis. The Nevada State Athletic Commission is currently withholding his $2 million purse and opened an investigation shortly after the pay-per-view concluded.
But just what kind of punishment will Nurmagomedov face for his role in sparking the brawl?
Some have called for Nurmagomedov to be stripped of his title, while others have gone as far as saying he should be removed from the UFC roster. But according to UFC president Dana White, the sanctions handed down could be less severe than imagined — or at least that is what he’s hoping for.
Speaking with TMZ, White said that a $250,000 fine and six-month suspension would do the trick.
“They took his whole purse right now and they’re talking about keeping his purse – I do not think that that should happen,” White told TMZ Sports. “You should not be able to keep his whole purse. I think they should take ($250,000) from him. (He) absolutely keeps his title. And he’s going to get suspended, so maybe you give him a four to six months suspension.”
Of course, the NSAC has the final say, and they appear to be prepared to take a firm stance against
“There are a lot of things here,” NSAC chairman Anthony Marnell told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “There are a lot of charges that can be brought against a spectator who came over the barricade, through the commission section and into the Octagon to strike a fighter three times. For the record, I have a massive problem with that. That cannot happen.
He added, “This is a serious issue, this is not a light issue. This isn’t, ‘We smacked each other in the face in a hotel lobby the week of a fight.’ This is the night of the event, and it needs to stay inside that field of combat. There are serious regulations and statutes about what took place, and the consequences have to match the actions.”
Now, we play the waiting game with the NSAC hoping to hold disciplinary hearings no later than the end of the November.
With his win, Khabib advanced to 27-0 in his professional career. His 27 consecutive wins gives him the longest winning streak in all of mixed martial arts. Khabib first won the vacant lightweight championship on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223 when he scored a dominant decision win over Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn, New York. He became the first Russian to win a UFC title. The submission victory over McGregor was his first title defense.
