Khabib vs. Conor: The Fight After the Fight

So who else was channeling their inner Gus Johnson at the end of UFC 229 on Saturday night? What was that about these things happening in MMA?

It’d be putting it lightly to say there’s a lot to unpack from the blockbuster event, even without getting into Derrick Lewis’s Hail Mary knockout of Alexander Volkov (and how many Hail Marys he’ll have to recite after taking his shorts off on live TV), or how Tony Ferguson took some good shots from Anthony Pettis and returned them in triplicate, or the fact that Gray Maynard is still in the UFC (or at least he was before Nik Lentz detached his head from his shoulders).

Then the main event happened and gave us plenty of what we wanted and a whole lot of what we didn’t, although, depending on who you ask, that may be up for debate…

There’s no question how much Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor don’t like each other. I mean, when your teammate gets confronted by your opponent and your response is to physically attack the bus he’s on, putting multiple lives in danger and risking both criminal and civil charges, it’s safe you say you probably don’t like the guy.

There’s no need to delve into said attack, which happened prior to UFC 223 in April, especially considering the UFC, who claimed to be disgusted by the event, made the event the central piece in their promotion for the fight on Saturday.

Knowing that, it kind of makes Dana White calling the aftermath of UFC 229 “disgusting” ring a bit hollow, doesn’t it? It’s hard to believe the company is genuinely upset over what happened when they have a habit of glorifying such actions in the name of advertising upcoming events. By using events like the bus attack in TV commercials and YouTube videos, it’s the UFC who gives the message to the fighters that it’s okay to commit felonies and other heinous acts against future opponents, so long as their camera crew is there to capture it.

I guess you only cry over spilled milk if you can’t find a way to profit from said milk. Or if it’s chocolate milk since chocolate milk is delicious.

As far as what happened after the fight, while it’s not known all that was said, there’s enough video evidence to show what can go down when a heated rivalry is taken personally and boils over to its logical conclusion.

To sum up: After the fight ended, Khabib exchanged words with both Conor and Conor’s corner. Dillon Danis, Conor’s teammate and the “WHO DA FOOK IS DAT GUY?” of the hour, went after Khabib verbally, which led to Khabib throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of Danis and escalated to Khabib climbing out of the cage and literally jumping Danis.

Then, while security was busy trying to get that under control, the action reignited in the cage. Conor scaled the cage to get his two words in regarding the brawl happening on the floor, which lead to Khabib’s cornermen jumping into the cage. Punches were thrown and, before anyone watching could fully process what was happening, we were in the midst of one of those “Pier-Six Brawls” I used to hear so much about.

I bet none of this would have gone down if Dory and Terry Funk were involved. Or it would have involved chairs and barbed wire. Either or.

The thing that is most disappointing about what happened is that the events after the fight have completely overshadowed the fight itself, which was an absolute classic performance by the Dagestani champion against the Irishman who has loomed over the UFC lightweight division the last two years, putting everything Khabib has accomplished in doubt.

Well, we can no longer doubt who the undisputed best is, as, while Conor was able to neutralize some of Khabib’s takedowns and land a few shots, it was the UFC Lightweight Champion who was successful in implementing his gameplan. Not only was Khabib able to take Conor down and wear him out against the cage, he showed no fear in standing in front of Conor, even dropping him with a punch that led to a very dominant second round.

That was the story of the fight more than anything else, Khabib proving that everything Conor said about him wasn’t enough to shake his resolve and force him to fight Conor’s fight. Khabib fought Khabib’s fight and, while his style is not the most flashy or exciting, it is intense and it is effective, especially when we saw the ease with which Khabib was able to take Conor down in the fourth round. Khabib would take Conor’s back and fish for a rear naked choke, settling for squeezing whatever part of Conor’s head he could so hard Conor had no choice but to tap, lest his pride allow himself to get injured because he didn’t want to lose by submission…again…

It’s an old but familiar story for Conor, as all four of his defeats have come by submission. He showed strong takedown defense and scrambling ability early but, once Khabib got Conor down and began forcing Conor to carry his weight, it became increasingly more difficult for Conor to keep up.

Khabib shut Conor down in a way that few have done before, made even more impressive because of the various blatant fouls Conor committed, from grabbing Khabib’s gloves to putting his toes inside the cage fencing to kneeing Khabib in the head when Khabib was clearly on the ground. It almost seemed like the rules didn’t apply to Conor (considering how much money Conor brought to the state of Nevada on Saturday night, that may not be too far off from the truth) and Khabib still defeated him.

And now no one cares because Khabib couldn’t keep his emotions in check after he won and allowed himself to put the sport in a bad light and his future in jeopardy, since we all know the UFC won’t go to the same lengths to protect Khabib as they would Conor.

Whether Khabib deserves to be protected, taking into consideration the type of character he possesses outside the cage (condemning rap concerts because they go against the principles of your religion and making homeless people do push ups for spare change are not good examples of ways to expand your fanbase) and not when he’s promoting a fight, which is all the majority of Conor’s antics are, it can certainly be argued attacking a bus of innocent people outside a fight setting is a much greater blight on the reputation of MMA than inciting a brawl with other fighters in the immediate aftermath of a fight where tensions were already at an all time high.

However, it may ultimately be splitting hairs to even debate because we all know what these events are going to lead to:

Khabib vs. Conor 2: This Time, It’s Personal…er…est.

We already know that Conor isn’t pressing charges. It wouldn’t surprise me if he advocates for Khabib not being stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship, a scenario Dana White confirmed as possible if the Nevada Athletic Commision rules to suspend Khabib for his actions, so that Conor could get a chance to take the belt from him (again) in a rematch.

I was always a bit conflicted in who I wanted to see emerge as the winner of this fight because, while Khabib has shown himself to be a morally gray kind of guy, I also knew that Khabib as champion would hopefully prevent the lightweight division from stalling like it would if Conor was champion again.

Who would have predicted that, even with a Khabib victory, there’s a good chance the division is going to stall again?

Sorry, Tony Ferguson. You know as well as everyone else that, if Conor wants an immediate rematch, like he demanded after he lost to Nate Diaz (while holding the UFC Featherweight Championship hostage), he’s going to get it. Integrity of sport doesn’t exist when there’s money to be made and, right now, the biggest money fight that can be made in MMA is Khabib vs. Conor 2: This Time, It’s Because Dana White Has Another Kid’s Million Dollar Birthday Party to Finance.

Seriously, Dana, pay Khabib. It makes no sense to withhold Khabib’s pay while giving Conor his check, especially when you know all Khabib ultimately did was add another million to the buyrate of their next fight.

It’s too bad, too. I was hoping that, if Conor lost to Khabib, his next move would be to make good on the suggestion of spearheading a 165 lbs. weight class, possibly facing the winner of the Dustin Poirier-Nate Diaz fight, A.K.A. the true UFC 230 main event, to determine the inaugural champion. That could be a lot of fun and if anyone can force the UFC’s hand on things like creating a new division, it’s the man who’s been keeping the UFC’s electric bill paid for the last 3 years.

Whatever ultimately happens, however things shake out from the events that transpired on Saturday, at least we know we’ll have plenty to talk about in the coming months. I’m going to need something to write about after UFC 230 is over.

Seriously, Sijara Eubanks? A 3-2 fighter getting a title shot in the headliner at Madison Square Garden, the most hallowed of hallowed halls?

Wait, wasn’t that the name of Jay Leno’s bandleader?

Congrats, New York. It’s only been two years since you legalized the sport and you’re already getting underwhelming main events the UFC won’t give you any reason to care about, just like the rest of us. You’ve made it to the promised land. You’re welcome.

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.