Saturday, October 6 will mark the biggest mixed martial arts fight of the year: UFC 229; featuring the main event of the “Notorious” Conor McGregor versus the undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The highly anticipated event is for the 155-pound lightweight belt, which Khabib currently holds and McGregor is determined to reclaim. The fight is for UFC’s is set to take place in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10:00 p.m.
This will be McGregor’s first time fighting since his August 2017 debut boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and his first time in the UFC octagon in nearly two years. McGregor previously held both featherweight and lightweight titles, making him the first fighter to hold two titles simultaneously in UFC history.
Nurmagomedov will fight to maintain the lightweight champion title, and to preserve his undefeated status. The Russian fighter won the title of lightweight champion this past April after defeating American fighter Al Iaquinta,
This fight, however, is deeper than the lightweight champion title, as McGregor and Nurmagomedov have a bit of an unstable past, and a dispute left to settle. In the Irishman’s absence, Nurmagomedov has been making a solid name for himself by winning 10 UFC contests, and taking McGregor’s lightweight title (albeit a title he was stripped of for inactivity).
Vocal disputes between the Russian fighter and Artem Lobov (a close friend of McGregor) are another reason instigating conflict between Nurmagomedov and the UFC’s notorious loudmouth.
The mild antics escalated at UFC 223 earlier this year when McGregor threw a dolly at a bus carrying Nurmagomedov, among other fighters; breaking glass and injuring fighters Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa. The incident at the Barclays Centre had the Dublin-native charged with three counts of assault and criminal mischief, which he entered a plea deal and ultimately received no jail time.
Dana White, the UFC President, spoke on a recent press conference in New York City, calling it “explosive,” particularly regarding McGregor’s antics, and stating it was “one of the darkest,” he was ever part of. Nurmagomedov, however, was calm and did not show any emotion to the Irish fighter’s fear tactics.
