Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) gathered on Wednesday to tackle a piece of the UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) drama, which saw Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, leap into the crowd to brawl with Conor McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach, Dillon Danis.
Watch the video here.
And considering that Nurmagomedov had his fight purse frozen, I would say promotion president Dana White wasn’t the only one who cared about the “Sin City” melee inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, back on Oct. 6, 2018.
While the actual disciplinary hearing won’t take place until Dec. 10, one that includes McGregor for his role in the kerfuffle, the commission needed to decide if and when to pay “The Eagle” so that he, in turn, could take care of his trainers.
“NSAC chairman Anthony Marnell recommends the commission release $1 million (half) of Khabib’s fight night purse to him at this time,” veteran reporter John Morgan wrote. “The other $1 million is to be transferred from UFC to NSAC for safekeeping until resolution. A motion is made and passed.”
While Nurmagomedov is not expected to be stripped of his title, he will most likely face some sort of suspension for what transpired in the wake of his submission win over “Notorious.” In fact, the commission could ban them both for life.
“The attorney general just informed the commission they are authorized to ban Nurmagomedov and McGregor for life and fine them 100 percent of their respective purses,” wrote ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “That won’t happen, but it’s worth noting there is really no limit on the possible punishment, based on NSAC regs.”
If and when he returns in a reasonable timeframe, top contender Tony Ferguson will be waiting. “El Cucuy” was also victorious at UFC 229 after stopping ex-champion Anthony Pettis in a bloody, back-and-forth war.
As for “Notorious” … that remains to be seen.