Khabib Nurmagomedov was the calm, glowering foil to Conor McGregor's antics for six months while the loquacious Irishman built a frenzy of hype around their UFC lightweight title fight.
When Nurmagomedov forced the biggest star in mixed martial arts to tap out Saturday night, he had fashioned the perfect response to McGregor's verbal insults and physical attacks.
But when Nurmagomedov promptly hurdled over the cage and fought with McGregor's taunting cornermen while his own teammates ambushed McGregor in the octagon, the Russian champion and his friends might have seriously damaged careers that were just about to take off.
"These guys are in big trouble," UFC President Dana White said. "It is going to be ugly."
Executive director Bob Bennett said the Nevada Athletic Commission intends to file a complaint following its investigation into the actions of Nurmagomedov and his team for setting off a post-fight melee immediately after McGregor submitted to Nurmagomedov's choke in the fourth round.
Nurmagomedov's $2-million ($A2.8 million) purse has been withheld, and he could face a hefty fine along with a lengthy suspension.
White said three members of Nurmagomedov's team were detained by police, but released after McGregor refused to press charges.
White acknowledged Nurmagomedov's lightweight title could be stripped if his actions result in a significant suspension.
"There's going to be fines," White said. "There's going to be God knows what. Can these guys get visas to get back in the country?"
McGregor's $3-million ($4.2-million) was not withheld after commission officials examined video footage and determined his side had done nothing wrong in the melee.
While Nurmagomedov brawled with McGregor's teammate Dillon Danis outside the cage, a few men from Nurmagomedov's camp - at least two of whom appeared to be UFC fighters, although the promotion and the commission haven't formally identified them - climbed into the cage and confronted McGregor, who defended himself while getting sucker-punched from behind.
McGregor's first public response to the drama came on Twitter early Sunday morning: "Good knock. Looking forward to the rematch."
But Nurmagomedov followed his masterful victory with a reckless response to McGregor's lengthy campaign of verbal and physical aggression.
The Dagestan native, who trains in California, said he had been brought to a boil by McGregor's behaviour since April, when McGregor infamously attacked a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and several other UFC fighters.
"I don't understand how people can talk about I jump on the cage, you know?" Nurmagomedov said after apologising to the Nevada commission during a brief post-fight statement to reporters, his title belt displayed on the dais before him.
"What about he talked about my religion, he talk about my country, he talk about my father? He come to Brooklyn and he broke bus. He almost killed a couple of people. What about this?"
Nurmagomedov absorbed the Irish superstar's gleeful taunts related to his family, friends and Muslim faith during their fight promotion.
McGregor crowed when Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the champion's beloved father and a longtime wrestling coach, couldn't attend the bout because he couldn't secure a US visa in time.
McGregor called Nurmagomedov's father a "quivering coward" during a boisterous news conference.
On Thursday, McGregor referred to Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, as a "snitch terrorist rat."
McGregor appeared to be referring to a book written several years ago which claimed Abdelaziz once worked as an informant for the NYPD and FBI among US Muslims after the September 11 terrrorist attacks.
"This isn't the last time guys are going to say mean things to each other," White said. "This is the fight business. That's how it works. People have been saying mean things to each other for 18 years here in the UFC. Nothing like this has ever happened."
Share
