Mcgregor faces ‘payback’
UFC star could lose some or all of $3 million payday for actions in brawl
Conor Mcgregor is not in the clear for his role in Saturday night’s UFC 229 brawl at T-mobile Arena after all.
The Nevada Athletic Commission plans to file complaints against both Mcgregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov following an investigation into the postfight melee, a commission official confirmed to the Review-journal on Monday.
Nurmagomedov’s $2 million check was withheld by the commission on Saturday night, pending the results of the investigation. Mcgregor’s $3 million share was released to the fighter after an initial viewing of footage of the chaos, but several new angles have emerged.
The commission is expected to expedite the process mostly because Nurmagomedov’s check is being held. A regularly scheduled commission meeting is set for Oct. 24, though Nurmagomedov and Mcgregor’s cases aren’t expected to be heard on that date. The commission would like to wrap up the case by the end of November.
A formal complaint could be filed within the next 48 hours, the official said, at which time temporary suspensions were likely to be issued to both fighters for up to 10 days.
Nurmagomedov submitted Mcgregor in the fourth round of Saturday night’s main event following several months of nasty interactions between the fighters and those around them.
Following the win, Nurmagomedov climbed the cage and attacked
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one of Mcgregor’s coaches, Bellator MMA fighter Dillon Danis.
As a brawl started outside the cage, Mcgregor tried to climb the cage to join the fray. He was pulled back in by commission official Charvez Foger, preventing a further escalation of the situation.
Mcgregor was held in place on top of the fence by Foger and several other security personnel as another member of Nurmagomedov’s team also tried to go over the cage. At that point, Mcgregor landed a left hook, triggering more chaos.
The commission also will look to take action against individuals who entered the cage during the fracas, including a man in a red shirt who threw punches at Mcgregor when his back was turned.
No arrests were made at the time, though according to UFC officials at least three members of Nurmagomedov’s team were temporarily detained. Any information the commission has on those or other individuals will be referred to the state attorney general’s office to review for possible charges.
UFC president Dana White has said the organization will allow the commission’s process to play out before deciding on any potential action.
“The Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to go after him,
I’m sure, pretty hard,” White said after the fight. “(Nurmagomedov) doesn’t have to worry about me right now, he has to worry about Nevada. The governor (Brian Sandoval) was here tonight. The governor went running out of the building. That’s not good. The governor running out of the building isn’t good. He’s in trouble.”
Sandoval’s spokeswoman confirmed the governor attended the event, but disputed White’s claim he “ran” from the building.
According to Mary-sarah Kinner, Sandoval even stopped to speak with some police officers as he exited T-mobile Arena.
“He and his wife left the venue just like any other patron,” she said.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @Adamhilllvrj on Twitter.