Top-to-bottom, UFC 229 was an amazing night of competitive fights. Taking place from inside T-Mobile in Las Vegas, Nevada, the sport’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, returned opposite Lightweight kingpin, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Also in the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event was the third Lightweight great, Tony Ferguson, squaring off with a former champion in Anthony Pettis. Miraculously, all four amazing Lightweights made it to fight night ... and I am eternally grateful. Lightweight is Murky as Ever During the actual fight, Nurmagomedov treated McGregor like any other opponent. He worked for the takedown, ground him into the mat, and went to work as his foe fatigued. At one point, Nurmagomedov did stand and jab at McGregor while catching his breathe, a decision thought by many to be certain death opposite the knockout artist. Instead, the exchanges were fairly even, and Nurmagomedov went right back to work in the next round. Only one man was dropped by punches in last night’s main event, and it was not the Russian. The aftermath was the opposite of standard Khabib. The usually reserved athlete ran out of the cage to fight a corner man, and a massive brawl broke out that took more than a couple minutes to contain. To my knowledge, it’s the worst post-fight scrap in UFC history, and it happened on the sport’s showcase night. I don’t yet know what the outcome of all the drama will be. Somehow, I foresee the UFC using it to shaft Tony Ferguson and award McGregor another title shot. I really hope I’m wrong though, as “El Cucuy” vs. “The Eagle” has to happen. Related Wild Brawl Ensues After Khabib Chokes Out McGregor The Weird King Retains Tony Ferguson did get dropped by Anthony Pettis in a wild and entertaining fight, and detractors will use that against him when arguing who’s the best Lightweight in the world. Ultimately though, Ferguson gets dropped or hurt somewhat often — but it doesn’t matter until someone can actually stop him and prevent his rally. “El Cucuy” did beautiful work once Pettis was trapped along the fence. He chased Pettis into that position with low kicks and front snap kicks, keeping Pettis on his back foot and jamming up his power kicks. Once Pettis accepted his position along the fence, Ferguson kept up the same two attacks but added in lots of jabs, body shots, and nasty elbows. Pettis has a serious chin, and he was forced to rely on it. The ending sadly was not satisfying. Pettis admitted to his coach that his hand was broken, and Duke Roufus made the correct call in stopping the contest. If it were a close fight or Pettis was winning, I could see sending him back out for five more minutes. However, Pettis was only going to get abused further, and without a right hand, it’s hard to imagine him winning via comeback knockout. Pettis’ performed well, but UFC 229 was not his night. Instead, Ferguson extends his win streak to 11 in the sport’s most talent-rich division. A Clash of Slow-Moving Titans Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov was the perfect example of a Derrick Lewis fight. Almost immediately, he looked tired. Moments later, Volkov stunned him with shots and a body kick, sapping whatever energy Lewis had. Volkov had his way with “Black Beast” for most of the opening round, although Lewis did manage to gain top position briefly at the end of the round. After the first, Volkov was completely willing to coast. Lewis was throwing quite literally nothing, which allowed Volkov to pick his shot with the occasional jab and snap kick. Every once in a while, Volkov would flurry and nearly finish his foe, but the stoppage never materialized. The first round was fantastic. The second was awful. The third was going the same direction as the second, with Volkov landing occasionally and Lewis doing nothing. As a result, Lewis did have the chance to build up some energy and try the occasional haymaker. He struck out repeatedly, the fight dragged on, and then Volkov attempted to step into a knee and left his chin wide open. An overhand landed flush, and Volkov fell to the mat. With less than 20 seconds remaining, Lewis hammered his skull into the canvas and sent him to sleep. Lewis won less than 30 seconds of this fight, but his shots were thunderous. For Volkov, the major mistake was playing with his food and not really pushing to finish Lewis at any point. He gave Lewis the full 15 minutes to land one punch, and it eventually happened. Swang-and-bang bitches! Additional Thoughts Dominick Reyes got a little tired in one of his few fights that moved passed the opening round. However, his technique was on point the entire bout, as he easily picked apart Ovince Saint Preux. Reyes does his best work with the Southpaw double threat: kicking high or to the body and pairing those kicks with a sharp cross. Saint Preux tried to eliminate that by switching stance, but the result was that Reyes drilled his body when opposite stance and lead leg when in the same stance. In addition, Reyes does a great job of playing with distance, feinting and shuffling forward before actually throwing. The Light Heavyweight prospect battered his foe, capping off an amazing showing with what was essentially a final second knockout ... even if it’s officially called a decision. Joe Rogan spent the entire fight talking about how sharp Jalin Turner’s rangy striking worked, and to his credit, the newcomer did look composed. However, Vicente Luque was walking him down and landing harder counter shots all the while. The end came when Turner attempted a spinning elbow and ate a couple right hands following the spin that sent him to the mat. Turner was still aware and defending, but Luque found an opening to drop some thudding shots that ended the contest. The 26-year-old “Silent Assassin” has now won seven of his last eight bouts, and each victory has been a stoppage. The FOX Sports 1 “Prelims” card featured a pair of consecutive ground-and-pound stoppages. In the first, Scott Holtzman picked apart Alan Patrick, landing counter right hands repeatedly. Despite reportedly breaking both hands, Holtzman made his way into the mount, framed the face, and dropped a trio of concussion-inducing elbows (watch highlights). Immediately after, Aspen Ladd proved herself the real deal opposite Evinger, who dove in for an ugly takedown and paid for it. Ladd quickly moved to back mount, where she showed very strong hips in flattening Evinger out and trapping her in a terrible position. Nik Lentz brought the second head kick of the night in just the second fight. For the opening five minutes, Lentz dropped, rocked and battered Gray Maynard the entire time. Realistically, his corner would’ve been wise to throw in the towel, but instead Maynard went out a second time, fought competitively for about a minute, and then suffered another brutal knockout loss. Lentz’s kickboxing is crafty and under-appreciated, but hopefully this high kick helps separate him from the pack. In his Welterweight debut, Tony Martin shined with a well-rounded performance. He’s struggled in the past opposite grinding wrestlers, so on paper Ryan LaFlare seemed like a bad match up for the jiu-jitsu ace. Instead, Martin’s counter right hand connected over-and-over, and Martin’s first head kick attempt of the night scored him a third-round knockout win. It was a perfect example of the double threat when Southpaw and Orthodox fighters square off, as Martin’s cross landed so frequently that LaFlare slipped right into the high kick. To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 229: “Khabib vs. McGregor” be sure to hit up our comprehensive event hub right here.<doc-sep>UFC 229: McGregor ATTACKED by Khabib 'friends' FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. It was the Irishman’s first appearance inside the octagon for nearly two years following his adventure into the boxing world. He picked up a reported $100million from his fight with Floyd Mayweather and claimed he was in line to earn around half of that for his clash with Khabib. Ahead of UFC 229, McGregor said: “It's a tasty, tasty, record-breaking deal. "It's give or take [nine figures]. The Mayweather fight was nine figures but we’re almost there, it's a good, solid eight figures; halfway there. "We're all very happy with where we're at. It's not what the Mayweather fight was but it's a good halfway there.” McGregor was bidding to win back the lightweight belt that was stripped of him earlier this year. Who won Conor McGregor vs Khabib fight? Khabib won the showdown in the fourth round by submission. The Russian dominated the fight with his grappling, regularly forcing McGregor to the ground. McGregor fight last night: Find out how the fight unfolded Conor McGregor exchanges strikes with Khabib McGregor looked dangerous in some the striking exchanges but didn’t have an answer to Khabib’s wrestling skills. The Ireland hero tapped out when Khabib maneuvered his rival into a rear choke-hold. What happened after the fight? (UFC 229 chaos REVEALED in full) Khabib’s win was soured by the events that took place following his victory. Despite retaining his UFC lightweight title, the Russian appeared angry in the aftermath of the fight. The 30-year-old tossed his mouthguard, vaulted over the cage into the crowd and began brawling with a member of McGregor’s team. While that was happening, McGregor himself was set upon and attacked by at least two men who entered the octagon as the bad blood between the camps came to a head. UFC 229: McGregor ATTACKED by Khabib 'friends' McGregor was forced to submit after being put in a choke-hold by Khabib<doc-sep>
UFC 229: McGregor ATTACKED by Khabib 'friends' McGregor returned to the Octagon for the first time in almost two years but the night did not go to plan for the Irishman. The 30-year-old Dubliner delivered some good blows to his opponent but was no match for his wrestling ability. The fight came to an end in the fourth when McGregor found himself in a choke-hold and was forced to submit to the Russian. But the events that followed left many fans stunned both in the arena and around the world. What happened after the Khabib beat McGregor? After retaining his UFC lightweight title, Khabib launched himself out of the Octagon and into the crowd. He appeared to target and start a brawl with Dillon Danis, a fellow MMA fighter who is part of McGregor’s entourage. The exact reason behind it is unknown but UFC pundit Joe Rogan believes that Danis was provoking Khabib. “We couldn't hear what he said but Dillon absolutely was insulting Khabib and that's when he jumped over the fence and attacked him,” Rogan said. "I couldn't believe my eyes when it was happening. When he went over the top and into the crowd, I couldn't believe it." McGregor fight: Find out what went on in Las Vegas McGregor battled it out with Khabib at the T-Mobile Arena Good knock. Looking forward to the rematch Conor McGregor What happened to Conor McGregor? While all this was going on, McGregor was still in the cage and was then attacked by members of Khabib’s camp who caught the Irishman unawares. Another brawl inside the Octagon ensued as security frantically stepped in to try and break things up. Both fighters were later escorted from the arena and UFC president Dana White revealed that the men who attacked McGregor has been arrested. However, McGregor opted not to press charges and the men were later released. McGregor and Khabib trade blows What has been said? The UFC brand has been damaged by the violent scenes in Las Vegas according to the organisation’s president. White said: “I’m so disappointed. I'm one of the guys who has worked 18 years to get this sport where it is today. "The thing was trending to be number one or two of all time on pay-per-view and this is how it ends? "It's bad for the brand, it's bad for the sport, it's bad for both fight camps. I don't know how anyone can come out looking good from this." Khabib, meanwhile, issued an apology in his post-fight press conference but showed his disdain for McGregor’s behaviour in the build-up to the fight. McGregor fight: UFC president Dana White has condemned the scenes that took place He said: "First of all I want to say sorry to Nevada Athletic Commission and second to Vegas. I know this is not my best side. I'm a human being. "But I don't understand how people can talk about how I jump on the cage. He talked about my religion, he talked about my country, he talked about my father. "He came to Brooklyn and he broke a bus, he almost killed a couple of people. What about this s***? Why do people talk about me jumping over the cage? I don't understand. "This is a respectful sport, not a trash-talking sport. I want to change the game, you cannot talk about religion, about nationality." McGregor took to social media to assure fans that he would return to the octagon again. “Good knock. Looking forward to the rematch,” he wrote on Twitter, while also posting on Instagram: “I’ll be back.” McGregor fight: Will Khabib be punished for the post-match chaos? According to former UFC title contender Dan Hardy, Khabib "has to be suspended" and stripped of his belt for the violent scenes that marred his win over McGregor at UFC 229. He said: "I don't see any other way around it. "His actions almost led to a full scale arena riot. "Unfortunately, he is going to be suspended for a period of time, which means that the belt would probably be stripped from him. "Then we'll see [number one contender] Tony Ferguson face somebody else for the vacant title." Conor McGregor has been suspended on medical grounds