Nurmagomedov, McGregor Suspensions Extended

Security escorts Khabib Nurmagomedov out of T-Mobile arena amid the chaos that followed his UFC 229 victory over Conor McGregor

Los Angeles (AFP) - Mixed martial arts stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will remain suspended pending full investigation of the melee following UFC 229, Nevada combat sports regulators said Wednesday.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously on the suspensions, with chairman Anthony Marnell ordering both fighters to be present at a December 10 hearing.

Russia's Nurmagomedov and Ireland's McGregor had already been suspended for 10 days -- the maximum term fighters can be banned pending a hearing.

The sanctions stem from the extraordinary post-fight brawl that erupted after unbeaten Nurmagomedov choked out McGregor on October 6 in Las Vegas.

Nurmagomedov had barely released his hold after McGregor tapped out when the Russian launched himself over the Octagon fence, targeting a taunting member of McGregor's camp.

The five-member board also voted to release half of Nurmagomedov's $2 million purse, which had been withheld immediately after the fight.

Marnell said he believed that retaining $1 million would allow Nurmagomedov to meet his expenses but still be "enough money to keep this contestant's interest in this hearing".

Marnell also said that he would have withheld McGregor's $3 million purse if he had seen video that showed McGregor's role in fueling the brawl.

The first video to emerge appeared to show the Irish star being taken by surprise by three of Nurmagomedov's teammates coming after him inside the Octagon.

Once the probe is complete, the commission has the power to issue lifetime bans, although such a punishment is considered unlikely.

Comments

'I Tried My Best' - Arsenal Boss Arteta Believes He Did All He Could To Include Axed Ozil

The 32-year-old did not feature for the Gunners after lockdown and was subsequently omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League squad. Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes he did all he could to give Mesut Ozil a fair shot before he axed the German from his squad. Ozil's name was not among Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad that was released earlier this month, which followed the playmaker's exclusion from Arsenal's Europa League squad. As the 32-year-old enters the final months of his contract with the Gunners, it now appears likely that he has played his final game for the team. Ozil did play a part for Arsenal last season, at one point starting 10 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners before the coronavirus lockdown in March. The playmaker did not make a single appearance for Arsenal after lockdown, however, but Arteta has still insisted he gave Ozil every chance to impress before he was omitted from his team. "What I can tell you that I

Arsenal's £72m Enigma: Arteta Right To Demand More From Mercurial Pepe

The Gunners' record signing may have scored his third goal of the season on Thursday night but his manager wants consistency across 90 minutes. Mikel Arteta’s answer was clear when asked what Nicolas Pepe needed to show in order to earn himself a regular starting spot in Arsenal's Premier League team. “Consistency,” said the Arsenal boss, when quizzed on the Gunners’ record signing, following Thursday’s night’s 4-1 Europa League win against Molde at the Emirates Stadium. It was a game that perfectly encapsulated the enigma that is Pepe. The £72 million ($95m) man was infuriating at times - especially in the first half - but just as he had done against Dundalk a week earlier, he popped up with an excellent goal. He also went on to add an assist for Joe Willock, a late strike which sealed a comfortable victory for Arteta’s side and all but booked Arsenal’s passage into the knockout stages. It was a classic Pepe performance and more evidence of why he remains such a puzzle in nort

Should Arsenal Sell Eddie Nketiah To West Ham

Once he hit the U18s he was known as a prolific goalscorer, and was quickly promoted to the U23s, where he carried on scoring despite his age, and Arsene Wenger introduced him to the senior side. Fans started to take notice when he came on as a sub in a League Cup game against Norwich and scored both goals and we were excited for his future. But that promise has never quite materialised. Eddie has continued to be prolific against Smaller sides (i.e. League Cup, Europa League and England U21 qualifiers) but in the League he has managed just 4 goals in 33 appearances, although mostly off the bench. The superstriker never seems to emerge, but I guess we have to remember he is still only 21 and has rarely had a run in the senior side, but I don’t think fans are as excited about him displacing Aubameyang or Lacazette any more. So, the rumours today are that West Ham are considering making an offer for Eddie, after selling Hillier to Ajax for 20m, and we could probably do with selling a few

WELCOME TO GIST CORRIDOR

Search This Blog