K. Nurmagomedov must wait for a statement from the commission. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufcbrasil
The widespread fight at UFC 229 could make the dream turn into a nightmare for Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian, who submitted his rival Conor McGregor, took revenge for the provocations, but caused major confusion by jumping over the bars of the octagon and starting a confrontation with the Irish team. As punishment, he had his $2 million salary – the biggest of his career – blocked. According to the franchise's president, Dana White, the remuneration must be paid after authorization from the Nevada Athletic Commission.
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“Not a stone will be left unturned. It's a shame that a great fight ended like this,” said Bob Bennett, president of the Athletic Commission, the entity that sanctioned the event, in an interview with the North American website MMAFighting.
The Nevada Athletic Commission must analyze the images of the confusion and decide on the punishments that will be applied to Khabib and his team.
The president of Ultimate guaranteed that the lightweight belt will temporarily remain with Nurmagomedov. However, he admitted that he could strip the Russian of his title.
“There is no guarantee that Khabib will not lose his belt. That's up to the Nevada Athletic Commission. The state governor was here at the event, and that's not good. Khabib is in trouble. If he is suspended, depending on the length of the suspension, he could lose his belt,” said White in a post-event press conference.
The Athletic Commission can apply suspensions, but cannot strip champions of their titles. It is a decision reserved for the event whether or not to remove a fighter's belt. On the other hand, White has already stated that if Khabib's suspension is long, he won't think twice about taking the belt from the Russian.
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