VIDEO | Khabib Nurmagomedov storms off stage after McGregor is late for press conference

By Thomas Taylor - October 4, 2018

https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1047973584784646144

Khabib Nurmagomedov

On Thursday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, UFC 229 headliners Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were set to appear on stage for a final pre-fight press conference. Unfortunately, McGregor was late for this event, which did not go over well with Nurmagomedov.

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov hung in there for 15 or 20 minutes, fielding questions from the media amid the howls of a raucous, pro-McGregor crowd, he eventually decided he’d had enough. The champion explained that he was tired of the disrespect, stood up, hoisted up his belt, and walked off the stage. Just like that, UFC President Dana White was left alone to wait for the ever-tardy Irish superstar. Some things never change.

See this tense moment in the video at the top of this post.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight occurred in April, when he captured the UFC lightweight title with a decision defeat of last-minute replacement opponent Al Iaquinta. The title was quietly stripped from the long absent Conor McGregor on the same night. With this title win over Al Iaquinta, Nurmagomedov improved to a flawless 26-0 overall — one of the most impressive records in MMA.

Conor McGregor has not competed since August of 2017, when he came up short in a headline-dominating boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. His most recent MMA bout occurred in November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to capture the UFC lightweight title. Because he still held the UFC featherweight title he swiped from Jose Aldo at the time, this made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes concurrently. He’s 21-3 overall.

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov was right to leave the UFC 229 press conference?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/4/2018.


Topics:

Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC 229