Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been handed lengthy suspensions by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following their roles in the post-fight melee at UFC 229.
Nurmagomedov has been handed the heavier punishment, having instigated the unsavoury scenes following his win over McGregor, with the Russian receiving a nine-month suspension and a fine of 500,000 US dollars (£380,545).
McGregor, meanwhile, has been given a six-month ban and a fine of 50,000 US dollars (£38,054). Both suspensions have been backdated to the event on October 6 last year.
Nurmagomedov, whose suspension could be reduced by three months if he takes part in anti-bullying campaign in Nevada, retained his UFC lightweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he submitted McGregor in the fourth round.
The 30-year-old threw his gumshield towards McGregor’s corner, scaled the octagon before attempting to attack someone in the Irishman’s team in the crowd.
While that was happening, McGregor was involved in a confrontation after a couple of members of Nurmagomedov’s team had entered the cage.
politics forever — khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 29, 2019
At the same NSAC hearing, two of Nurmagomedov’s training partners – Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov – were issued one-year suspensions and each fined 25,000 US dollars (£19,027).
Nurmagomedov reacted to Tuesday’s news in an Instagram post. Alongside a picture of himself reclining on a sofa with his eyes closed, the Russian wrote: “Wake me up, when it’s all over.”
A contemporaneous message from the 30-year-old’s official Twitter account read: “Politics forever.”
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '21889695-69a2-4a1c-8b41-ae0692600c7e');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:other,sport:ufc');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'McGregor and Nurmagomedov handed lengthy bans following UFC melee'});
