Khabib vs Mcgregor: Was the Outcome Justified?

Michael Adamu, Staff Writer

On October 6th, the long awaited fight between  26-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov and a 21-3 Connor Mcgregor finally arrived, and the outcome of the fight surprised everybody.

On the night of the fight,  tensions were high, as the events leading up to the fight made it personal for both fighters. However, none of the before the fight drama could match what took place during the match and especially what took place after it was over. After making Mcgregor submit at the 3.03 mark of the  4th round, Khabib proceeded to leap over the cage, and attack Mcgregor’s cornermen and other members of his team. While this was occuring, Mcgregor was still in the ring and all of a sudden members of Khabib’s team and Mcgregor’s started to fight in the cage as well.

Unfortunately, the short – 4 rounds – but  spectacular fight was overshadowed by the intense actions of Khabib. However,  whether or not Khabib’s post-fight actions were justified will go a long way towards whether or not there will be a rematch, or if there will be consequences for both of their actions.

In order to fully evaluate whether the aftermath of the fight was justified, we must first take a look at where the beef between the two fighters started. On April 4th, a video was brought to the internet of Khabib and a friend of Mcgregor, Artem Lobov, exchanging a few words at a hotel in Brooklyn. It is unclear what is being said in the video, but it is safe to say that this event could have added fuel to the fire.

Things quickly got worse as the next day, April 5th, Mcgregor and a few members from his team attacked Khabib and other UFC fighters that were on the bus. video captured during the melee shows Mcgregor and his people raiding the buses, smashing windows, and throwing garbage cans at them. This resulted in two fighters sustaining injuries which prevented them from fighting.

UFC commissioner Dana White spoke on the situation after it occured by saying, “This is then most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company.”

On July 26th, Mcgregor accepted a plea deal on the  felony and misdemeanor charges he faced, and his case was dismissed. This plea deal allowed McGregor to still participate in fights, and stay out of jail, but he had to complete community service and attend anger management classes.

All of this ended up not affecting McGregor as, on August 3rd, UFC announced that the two would fight and settle their issues in the ring. By the time October 5th came around, Mcgregor and Khabib faced each other at the final weigh in and  tensions were high as Khabib claimed that Mcgregor was making disrespectful comments about his family, his religion, and his country. With everything that Mcgregor had done leading up to the fight – including the bus attack – many would say that Mcgregor should be incarcerated, and shouldn’t be allowed to fight in the UFC at all., On the other hand, Khabib attacking Mcgregor’s team after the fight and escalating the feud can’t be  overlooked just because of Mcgregor’s actions. Khabib is expected to face more severe consequences than McGregor did after the April 5th incident.

Ultimately, whether or not Khabib’s actions after the fight were justified or he goes to jail, only time will tell. What one does know is that these two fighters will go down in history for having one of the most entertaining and compelling fights in UFC history, and fans all around the world will be looking forward to a rematch in the near futur