UFC 229

UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor
The poster for UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	October 6, 2018 (2018-10-06)
Venue	T-Mobile Arena
City	Paradise, Nevada, United States
Attendance	20,034 [1]
Total gate	$17,188,894.67 [2]
Buyrate	2,400,000 [3]
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith

UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ^[4]

Background

Going into the fight Nurmagomedov (left) had an undefeated record of 26–0, while McGregor (right) was the first fighter to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously. The fight was dubbed "the biggest in UFC history" by organization president Dana White. ^[5]

The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the undefeated current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor. ^[6] McGregor captured the lightweight title at UFC 205, when he was the reigning featherweight champion. ^[7] McGregor never defended the title, he took some time off in 2017 due to the birth of his firstborn and later venturing himself in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. ^{[8] [9]} The UFC originally planned an interim title bout between Nurmagomedov and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos welterweight winner Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, but it was canceled due to Khabib having medical issues related to his weight cut on weigh-in day. ^[10] Ferguson eventually won the interim title at UFC 216 against Kevin Lee. ^[11] Ferguson was then expected to meet Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, with the winner being crowned the undisputed champion (as McGregor would be stripped of the title as soon as the bout took place). In turn, it was scrapped once again (fourth time) as Ferguson got injured, and after several possibilities for an opponent, Nurmagomedov eventually won the vacant title against Al Iaquinta. ^{[12] [13]} That card was also marked by an attack on a bus containing several fighters scheduled to compete at the event (including Nurmagomedov and two teammates), performed by McGregor and his crew. ^[14]

Jussier Formiga was previously scheduled to face Sergio Pettis in January 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn. However, Formiga pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons. ^[15] The pairing was rescheduled for this event. ^[16]

On October 1, Sean O'Malley announced that he was pulled from a bout against José Alberto Quiñónez after failing a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test. ^[17] In turn, promotion officials elected to remove Quiñónez from the card and reschedule him for a future event. ^[18]

Results

Main Card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Lightweight	Khabib Nurmagomedov (c)	def.	Conor McGregor	Submission (neck crank)	4	3:03	[a]
Lightweight	Tony Ferguson	def.	Anthony Pettis	TKO (corner stoppage)	2	5:00
Light Heavyweight	Dominick Reyes	def.	Ovince Saint Preux	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)	3	5:00
Heavyweight	Derrick Lewis	def.	Alexander Volkov	KO (punches)	3	4:49	[b]
Women's Strawweight	Michelle Waterson	def.	Felice Herrig	Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 29–28, 30–27)	3	5:00
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Flyweight	Jussier Formiga	def.	Sergio Pettis	Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 29–28, 29–28)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Vicente Luque	def.	Jalin Turner	KO (punches)	1	3:52
Women's Bantamweight	Aspen Ladd	def.	Tonya Evinger	TKO (punches)	1	3:26
Lightweight	Scott Holtzman	def.	Alan Patrick	KO (elbows)	3	3:42
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Women's Bantamweight	Yana Kunitskaya	def.	Lina Länsberg	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Nik Lentz	def.	Gray Maynard	TKO (head kick and punches)	2	1:19
Welterweight	Anthony Rocco Martin	def.	Ryan LaFlare	TKO (head kick and punches)	3	1:00

1. For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
2. UFC heavyweight title eliminator

^[19]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses: ^[20]

• Fight of the Night: Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis
• Performance of the Night: Derrick Lewis and Aspen Ladd

Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses. The total disclosed payout for the event was $6,636,000. ^[21]

• Khabib Nurmagomedov: $2,000,000 (no win bonus) def. Conor McGregor: $3,000,000
• Tony Ferguson: $250,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Pettis: 100,000
• Dominick Reyes: $100,000(includes $45,000 win bonus) def. Ovince Saint Preux: $86,000
• Derrick Lewis: $270,000 (includes $135,000 win bonus) def. Alexander Volkov: $75,000
• Michelle Waterson: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Felice Herrig: $40,000
• Jussier Formiga: $86,000 (includes $43,000 win bonus) def. Sergio Pettis: $46,000
• Vicente Luque: $76,000 (includes $38,000 win bonus) def. Jalin Turner: $10,000
• Aspen Ladd: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Tonya Evinger: $30,000
• Scott Holtzman: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Alan Patrick: $30,000
• Yana Kunitskaya: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Lina Länsberg: $20,000
• Nik Lentz: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Grey Maynard: $54,000
• Tony Martin: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus) def. Ryan LaFlare: $33,000

Records set

At the T-Mobile Arena, the event drew an attendance of 20,034 fans, generating a live gate revenue of $17.2 million. It set the record for the highest ever mixed martial arts attendance and live gate in Nevada. ^[1] It also set the record for the biggest MMA pay-per-view event, with 2.4 million buys in the United States. ^[3]

Viewership

In Nurmagomedov's home country of Russia, the fight set the viewership record for the country's most-watched MMA event. On Russian channel Match TV, where the event began airing at 05:00 MSK and the Nurmagomedov-McGregor fight after 07:00 MSK, the fight was watched by more than 4 million viewers and reached a peak viewership rating of 67.5% for the time slot in the capital Moscow. ^[22] In the United Kingdom, the fight was watched by 1,282,500 viewers on pay television subscription channel BT Sport 1, including 260,700 viewers for the live 01:00 broadcast and 1,021,800 viewers for the 06:00 replay. ^[23]

Nurmagomedov–McGregor post-fight controversy

Seconds after the fight, Nurmagomedov hurled his mouthpiece towards McGregor’s corner, then proceeded to climb out of the octagon and charged toward McGregor's cornerman Dillon Danis. Soon after, McGregor and Abubakar Nurmagomedov (cousin of Khabib) also tried to climb out of the octagon, but a scuffle broke out between them. ^[24] Back in the octagon, McGregor was then attacked by two of Nurmagomedov's cornermen: Zubaira Tukhugov and Esed Emiragaev. ^[25]

As a result of the incident, Nurmagomedov's payment for the fight was withheld by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) pending an investigation into his actions. ^[21] Tukhugov was scheduled to fight on October 27 at UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith against Artem Lobov, McGregor's teammate who was confronted by Nurmagomedov in April 2018. ^[26]

Nurmagomedov appeared at the post-fight interview and apologized to the NSAC, saying he was provoked by the McGregor team's trash-talk targeting his family, nation, and religion, as well as the UFC 223 bus incident. ^[27]

The NSAC filed a formal complaint against both McGregor and Nurmagomedov and the final hearing was initially scheduled to take place in November. ^[28] On October 12, they announced both fighters received a suspension for ten days come October 15 and a hearing would be held on October 24. ^[29] On October 24, the NSAC unanimously voted to release half of Nurmagomedov's payout immediately. ^[30] The commission also voted to issue temporary suspensions for both fighters and ordered them to appear in person for a further hearing in December to resolve the case. ^[31]

On January 29, 2019, the NSAC announced a nine-month suspension for Nurmagomedov and a $500,000 fine. The agreement also includes a potential suspension reduction of up to three months if he delivers to the commission a public service announcement on anti-bullying. To receive the reduction, the commission must approve the PSA and its distribution plan. Additionally, Nurmagomedov can only receive credit based on the time he submits the PSA. McGregor was suspended for six months and given a $50,000 fine. In separate agreements, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Tukhugov were each suspended one year for their roles in the melee. All suspensions are retroactive to the day of the event. ^[32] A few days later, Nurmagomedov stated that he would not opt to do the PSA stating "The state of Nevada is where drugs, prostitution and gambling are officially permitted. Let them work on themselves." ^[33] Danis was suspended for seven months and fined $7,500, also retroactive to the day of the event. ^[34] On May 22, 2019, NSAC reduced the suspensions by 35 days, which allowed Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Tukhugov to be eligible to compete again on September 1, 2019. ^[35]

See also

• List of UFC events
• 2018 in UFC
• List of current UFC fighters

References

1. Steven Marrocco (2018-10-07). "UFC 229 draws 20,034 fans, falls just shy of live gate record". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
2. "Top MMA Gates". Nevada State Athletic Commission. September 16, 2016.
3. Simon, Zane. "Report - UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor hits new record high of 2.4 million PPV buys". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
4. Staff (2018-07-08). "UFC announces rest of 2018 schedule from September through end of year". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
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6. Staff (2018-08-03). "Khabib vs McGregor set for October 6". ufc.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
7. Todd Martin (2016-11-13). "UFC 205: Conor McGregor claims lightweight title with knockout of Eddie Alvarez". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2018-08-05.
8. Matt Connolly (2016-11-13). "Conor McGregor's UFC 205 announcements: time off for newborn, UFC ownership demand and an 'apology'". forbes.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
9. Michael Emons (2017-08-26). "Mayweather beats McGregor – as it happened". bbc.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
10. Marc Raimondi (2017-03-03). "UFC releases statement on Khabib Nurmagomedov". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
11. Matt Erickson (2017-10-08). "UFC 216 results: Tony Ferguson taps resilient Kevin Lee in 3rd to win interim lightweight title". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
12. Marc Raimondi (2018-04-01). "Tony Ferguson out of UFC 223, Max Holloway to step in and face Khabib Nurmagomedov for lightweight title". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
13. Matt Erickson (2018-04-08). "UFC 223 results: Khabib Nurmagomedov dominates Al Iaquinta to become new lightweight champ". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
14. Shaun Al-Shatti (2018-04-05). "Conor McGregor, crew cause chaotic scene after UFC 223 media day". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
15. Staff (2016-12-29). "John Moraga in for Formiga vs. Sergio Pettis at UFC Fight Night 103". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
16. Staff (2018-08-02). "Jussier Formiga faces Sergio Pettis at UFC 229 in Las Vegas" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
17. Marc Raimondi (2018-09-30). "Sean O'Malley announces he's failed USADA drug test, out of UFC 229". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
18. Staff (2018-10-03). "UFC 229 gets new start time, Scott Holtzman vs. Alan Patrick bumped to FS1 prelims". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
19. "UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
20. Staff (2018-10-07). "UFC 229 bonuses: Ferguson, Pettis pick up extra $50k each for their brawl before the other brawl". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
21. Staff (2018-10-07). "UFC 229 salaries: McGregor makes $3 million, Khabib $2 million – eventually – on $6.6 million payroll". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
22. ""МАТЧ ТВ" СТАЛ ЛИДЕРОМ СРЕДИ ВСЕХ КАНАЛОВ В МОСКВЕ ВО ВРЕМЯ БОЯ НУРМАГОМЕДОВ – МАКГРЕГОР" [Match TV Became the Leader Among All Channels in Moscow During the Battle of Nurmagomedov – McGregor] (in Russian). Match TV. 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
23. "Weekly top programmes on four screens". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. 2018-10-07. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
24. Patrick McCarry (2018-10-07). "Khabib's cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov shows damage inflicted on him by Conor McGregor". joe.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
25. Ruslan Vasilyev (2018-10-07). "McGregor was attacked after the battle. Who are these people?" (in Russian). sport.business-gazeta.ru. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
26. Staff (2018-10-07). "Zubaira Tukhugov speaks out after slapping Conor McGregor 'as promised'". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
27. The Associated Press (2018-10-07). "Post-match mayhem breaks out after Nurmagomedov's win over McGregor at UFC 229". cbc.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
28. Brett Okamoto (2018-10-09). "Khabib, Conor both facing complaints after brawl". espn.com. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
29. Staff (2018-10-11). "Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov receive initial 10-day suspensions from NSAC". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
30. Steven Marrocco (2018-10-24). "NSAC releases $1 million of Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC 229 purse". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
31. Steven Marrocco and John Morgan (2018-10-24). "NSAC extends temporary suspensions for McGregor, Khabib; resolution expected in December". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
32. John Morgan (2019-01-29). "Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor suspended for UFC 229 brawl". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
33. Staff (2019-02-05). "Khabib Nurmagomedov nixes PSA, says Nevada is where drugs, prostitution, gambling are legal". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
34. John Morgan (2019-02-25). "Dillon Danis suspended seven months, fined $7,500 for his role in UFC 229 brawl". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
35. "NSAC reduces brawl ban for Khabib's teammates". ESPN.com. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-23.