LONDON: Khabib Nurmagomedov said he was sorry for the part he played in the post-fight brawl that took place after his victory over Conor McGregor, but insisted he was provoked after the Irishman made inflammatory comments about his religion.
The Russian submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their UFC lightweight title fight before jumping over the Octagon to attack the Irishman’s team. There then followed a huge melee involving both fighters and many of their entourages.
Both men were eventually given a police escort out of the T-Mobile Arena with UFC boss Dana White later revealing that three members of Nurmagomedov’s team were arrested.
But the 30-year-old Muslim pleaded that he was not to blame for the sorry post-fight scenes.
“This is not my best side. He talked about my religion, my country, my father,” Nurmagomedov said.
“He came to Brooklyn, he broke bus and nearly killed two people. So why do people still talk about me jumping over the cage? I have shown respect.
“This is a respectful sport. This is not a trash-talking sport. I want to change this game. You cannot talk about religions and nations.
“This for me is very important. Thank you for waiting for me. I know my father is gonna smash me when I go home. Nevada: Sorry. (Las) Vegas: Sorry.
“He took a picture with Putin. But Putin just called me and told me he is proud of me. And he said congratulations.”
UFC chief White refused to hand Nurmagomedov his belt, saying he feared it would further inflame the crowd.
“If I put this belt on you, everyone’s going to start throwing shit into the Octagon,” he told Nurmagomedov.
White said a suspension and “big money fines” could be looming for Nurmagomedov, who might also find himself facing difficulties obtaining a visa to fight in the United States in the future.
McGregor was returning to mixed martial arts for the first time since November 2016, having detoured in 2017 to a cross-combat boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather which ended in defeat — but still earned McGregor some $100 million.
His return sparked massive interest, with White predicting the bout would break the UFC record of 1.65 million pay-per-view buys.
The crowd included a mass of chanting, flag-waving Irish fans as well as a sprinkling of celebrities including Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Mel Gibson and Northern Ireland golf star Rory McIlroy.
Taking on the powerful champion from Dagestan in his comeback fight was a risk for McGregor, but the drumbeat for a showdown between the two intensified in April, when McGregor was at the center of an extraordinary melee in New York.
McGregor hurled a dolly through a window of a bus filled with other UFC fighters at the Barclays Center — apparently angered that Nurmagomedov had intimidated one of the Irish fighter’s friends, Artem Lobov.
Two athletes were injured and McGregor pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a Brooklyn criminal court in July in a plea deal that allowed him to avoid jail time.
All felony counts were dropped and he was ordered to do five days of community service.
Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Conor McGregor make offensive remarks about his Muslim faith after post-fight brawl
Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Conor McGregor make offensive remarks about his Muslim faith after post-fight brawl
- Russian champion says sorry for the brawl that overshadowed his victory over the Irishman.
- Nurmagomedov claims he wants to change image of UFC after members of his team arrested for hitter part in the melee.
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
