Khabib Nurmagomedov had defeated Conor McGregor via submission when he cranked his neck at UFC 229. After the hard-fought win, the Russian star promptly jumped the fence to attack McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis. A brawl ensued between the two fight camps and subsequently, Nurmagomedov was given a nine-month suspension along with a $500,000 fine.
Khabib Nurmagomedov recalls the incident
During an interview with RT Sport,he was asked about the frightening incident during a recent press junket, and Nurmagomedov said that he wouldn’t change a thing about what happened on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena.
The retired lightweight fighter claimed that if there was no referee, the night would’ve ended very badly for Conor McGregor.
“You saw what happened on October 6th. Remove Herb Dean and you will understand what would’ve happened. A person can die from a grip like that. If you want to, I can choke you behind the curtain and you’ll see what would’ve happened,” said Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A prolific grappler, Khabib Nurmagomedov was known for smothering his opponents on the ground. The Sambo practitioner had recorded 11 wins via submissions which he believes is enough proof that ‘The Notorious One’ wouldn’t have left the octagon on his feet at UFC 229 had referee Herb Dean not stepped in to save the Irishman.
“When a person strangles you and has been doing this for 30 years, this is a cold weapon. If there had been no referee, what would’ve happened? Herb Dean removed my hand, he removed my grip. We understand everything. We understand what could have been,” added Khabib Nurmagomedov.
