Conor McGregor vs Khabib: Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap says his punishment will be ‘much stronger’ than the UFC’s
Saturday night’s disgraceful scenes at UFC 229 could lead to Khabib being stripped of his lightweight title - but he faces far worse on his return home to Russia
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After forgiving Conor McGregor for his pre-fight conduct before his UFC 229 defeat, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father has warned that the punishment dished out to his son by the UFC will be nothing compared to what he has in store, following the disgraceful brawl that marred last weekend’s event.
The UFC lightweight champion vaulted the Octagon fence immediately after forcing McGregor to tap out and jumped into the crowd to attack McGregor’s entourage, which mainly centred around his trainer and teammate Dillon Danis. On top of that, McGregor was targeted by three of Khabib’s team who were later arrested and released without charge by Las Vegas Police.
Speaking after the event in his press conference, Khabib explained that his actions, while unacceptable, were a result of McGregor insulting him about his religion, country and his father, and did not apologise directly to his opponent, only the Nevada State Athletic Commission [NSAC] and the fans.
“This is a respect sport, not a trash talking sport,” Khabib said. “I don’t want to talk s*** about opponents, my father, religion or country, this is very important. My father is going to smash me when I go home.”
And it appears that he was right.
Having already looked past McGregor’s abusive comments, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, told Russian TV that his punishment will be “much stronger” than what the UFC decide, with the NSAC weighing up stripping him of his title while his purse from the fight is being withheld pending investigation.
“You can do whatever you want in the octagon; outside of it, there’s children, women, random people,” Abdulmanap said.
“My team has always been known for its discipline, hence my sanctions to Khabib will be much stronger than the ones from UFC.”
Abdulmanap spoke earlier in the week to express his forgiveness for McGregor’s pre-fight comments, having chosen to move past his persistent abuse that marred the build-up to the UFC 229 main event and ultimately trigger the post-fight melee.
“I forgive Conor McGregor for what he said,” Abdulmanap wrote on his Instagram page.
“It is necessary to analyse what happened in the past and learn lessons from it. We have decided to move to other heights. I hope this is a blessing. InshAllah.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments