The Nevada Athletic Commission had its monthly meeting on Wednesday, and on the agenda was a follow-up to the temporary suspensions they’d handed out to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor for their roles in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl. Khabib, who instigated the fracas, did have his $2 million purse withheld, while McGregor’s $3 million did not.
Actual punishment for the two men will not be decided until the commission’s December 10th meeting, but the good news for Khabib is that he’ll get some (but not all) of his purse released to him. Commission chairman Anthony Marnell recommended that $1 million be given to Nurmagomedov, while (per MMAjunkie’s John Morgan) “the other $1 million is to be transferred from UFC to NSAC for ‘safekeeping’ until resolution.”
MMA Fighting has more details from the NAC’s hearing, and there is a chance that the financial punishment for Khabib could be very steep.
Further sanctions are expected to be ruled on when the commission meets again on Dec. 10. These may include the seizure of a greater percentage of Nurmagomedov’s purse (which was estimated to be $5-6 million after pay-per-view bonuses are accounted for) and also a monetary penalty for McGregor. Marnell mentioned that had he seen the footage of McGregor’s involvement in the incident, which saw McGregor exchange punches with Nurmagomedov’s teammates on top of and inside the cage, then the NAC would likely have withheld McGregor’s purse at the time as well.
McGregor and Nurmagomedov may also be subject to more substantial suspensions from competition.
“I understand that the Nevada State Athletic Commission is doing a thorough investigation, which I am confident will benefit my client, Conor McGregor,” McGregor’s manager Audie Attar said in a statement on Wednesday.
NAC executive director Bob Bennett told MMAjunkie that he faulted the managers of both McGregor and Nurmagomedov for not heeding their pre-fight warning about not letting things spiral out of control.
“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 told MMAjunkie. “I specifically spoke with them.
“We didn’t want to be in a position that we’re in today had they would have managed their fighters in a professional manner. Unfortunately, they didn’t take heed to my comments, and that’s why we’re here today.”
So there you have it. No serious action taken today, but threats of serious action were made for the December 10th hearing.