Conor McGregor vs Khabib: Team-mate showdown cancelled in light of UFC 229 post-fight brawl

Artem Lobov’s proposed fight with Zubaira Tukhugov has been scrapped

A UFC showdown between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team-mates has been cancelled in the wake of the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.

Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor last weekend via submission, to defend his lightweight title and preserve his perfect professional record.

However his victory was quickly overshadowed by a post-fight brawl, which saw Nurmagomedov vault over the Octagon to attack McGregor’s corner, while the Irishman fought with Zubaira Tukhugov.

Nurmagomedov team member Tukhugov had originally been scheduled to fight Artem Lobov on 27 October, but that fight has now been cancelled.

Lobov’s management first confirmed the cancellation. “The fight is cancelled due to the riots at UFC 229,” they told Russian news agency TASS. “Artem will get a new opponent.”

Moments later, Nurmagomedov himself appeared to confirm the news in a lengthy Instagram post. The Russian promised to quit the UFC if Tukhugov was thrown out of the UFC – as promised by president Dana White immediately after the brawl.

“I would like to address the UFC,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Insatagram.

“Why didn't you fire anyone when their team attacked the bus and injured a couple of people? They could have killed someone there, why no one says anything about insulting my homeland, religion, nation, family?

“Why do you have to punish my team, when both teams fought. If you say that I started it, then I do not agree, I finished what he had started.

“In any case, punish me, Zubaira Tukhugov has nothing to do with that.

Conor McGregor was submitted in the fourth round (Getty)

“If you think that I’ll keep silent then you are mistaken. You cancelled Zubaira’s fight and you want to dismiss him just because he hit Conor. But don’t forget that it was Conor who had hit my brother FIRST, just check the video.

“If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother. If you still decide to fire him, don’t forget to send me my broken contract, otherwise I'll break it myself.

“And one more thing, you can keep my money that you are withholding. You are pretty busy with that, I hope it won’t get stuck in your throat. We have defended our honour and this is the most important thing. We intend to go to the end.”