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During the five months prior to UFC 229, it was easy to sympathize with Khabib Nurmagomedov. In my experience, the UFC lightweight champion is not only an extraordinary fighter, he is also an extraordinary person.
Dozens of people I talked to told him the same thing. To see him sit in silence and absorb all kinds of incredibly personal remarks from Conor McGregor on behalf of selling a fight was difficult.
McGregor was a tyrant who had no restrictions. English is not Nurmagomedov's native language and he was at a great disadvantage in defending himself. He has, however, defended himself in the best possible way. He was silent and classy in the face of McGregor's attacks that were so bad and let his talent in the cage speak for him.
He dominated McGregor and forced the Irish to participate in the fourth round of a totally one-sided fight.
From the moment McGregor exploited his bid, however, Nurmagomedov did the wrong thing after the bad shot. Jumping over the top of the cage was by far the worst, but he continued to make matters worse, not better, every time he opened his mouth.
The latest example is an Instagram post from Thursday's lightweight champion, in which he essentially threatened to leave the UFC if he cut off his friend, Zubaira Tukhugov, for entering the cage on Saturday and hitting McGregor.
Nurmagomedov wrote:
"Why do you have to punish my team when the two teams clashed? If you say that I started, then I do not agree, I finished what it started. In any case, punish me. Zubaira Tukhugov has nothing to do with that.
"If you think I'm going to shut up, then you're wrong. You canceled Zubaira's fight and you want to dismiss him just because he hit Conor. But do not forget that it was Conor who hit FIRST my other brother. Just watch the video. If you decide to fire him, know that you will also lose me. "
The videos show that after Nurmagomedov jumped over the cage to take it to Dillon Danis, an McGregor agent, McGregor himself attempted to review the cage and hit a member of the club. Nurmagomedov team who was similarly climbing the barrier. Later, McGregor hit a teammate from Nurmagomedov who entered the cage.
Obviously, this is a cultural problem and Nurmagomedov does not understand the American legal system. McGregor was arrested and pleaded guilty to a crime for attacking the bus at a press conference organized by UFC 223 in Brooklyn in April. If McGregor's taunts and harsh words could have given Nurmagomedov an extension of what he saw as unpunished behavior that had begun in Brooklyn, this was not the case.
When McGregor joined the UFC in 2013, it was a refreshing addition. He was humorous and quick-witted and his ardor did not cross the line of decency and was obviously in the name of promotion. But over time, McGregor made racist remarks during the promotion of his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, who were flawless. And it got worse after Mayweather's fight.
McGregor may have changed notoriety, but he needs to adapt his behavior quickly.
That said, Nurmagomedov was wrong to jump over the cage, as he could clearly have triggered a riot. It is fortunate that police and arena security have done a magnificent job of holding the fray, and he is incredibly lucky not to have hurt an innocent bystander.
And while I feel great empathy for the torrent of verbal abuse that Nurmagomedov has endured from McGregor, he and his teammates simply can not do justice. That's what they tried to do on Saturday.
In addition, Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram that the UFC holds his money. The UFC gave a check for the $ 2 million guarantee that Nurmagomedov had presented to the Nevada Sports Commission. It is the commission that holds the money and the UFC is powerless to stop it.
McGregor was classless in tearing the religion of Nurmagomedov and his family. There is no other way to say it. It was not just about selling tickets for a fight.
What happened to Nurmagomedov is reminiscent of what Baseball Hall of Fame Jackie Robinson had to endure when he became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. He was subjected almost daily to despicable words and deeds, but he controlled himself and did not answer.
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