It looks like the brawl following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 was not a shock to the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). In an interview with MMAJunkie following Wednesday’s hearing, NAC chief Bob Bennett said that both fighter’s managers were spoken to about making sure no shenanigans took place before or after the fight.
“You should know that the Nevada State Athletic Commission made a concerted effort on two independent occasions to speak with both managers of both fighters and tell them, ‘Listen, we don’t want any problems during the ceremonial weigh-in and at the end of the fight,'” Bennett said.
The weigh-ins the night before the fight went off without much commotion. Extra security measures were in place on fight night, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent the brawl.
Bennett also shared that had the commission had the opportunity to see all of the video evidence that they now have that they would have also withheld McGregor’s purse on the night of the fight.
“We didn’t maintain Conor’s (purse) because we didn’t have the opportunity to see the film at that time,” he said. “Had we been in a position to see that, we would have withheld his as well.”
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The NAC withheld Nurmagomedov’s $2 million purse on fight night and released half that amount to him at Wednesday’s hearing.
Both men remain suspended until a Dec. 10 hearing where it is expected final sanctions will be imposed.
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