Conor McGregor to Face Nurmagomedov in Main Event at UFC 229

Conor McGregor
Joshua Caplan

Conor McGregor will return to mixed martial arts on October 6 in Las Vegas for a title bout against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charges.

In a video announced posted to Twitter Friday, the UFC touted the highly anticipated matchup between McGregor and Nurmagomedov, with UFC President Dana White declaring “The fight is done.”

McGregor (21-3) simultaneously held the featherweight and lightweight championship belts during his meteoric UFC career, but he hasn’t fought in MMA since taking the 155-pound lightweight belt from Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. The loquacious Irishman hasn’t competed at all since losing his lucrative boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, and his UFC lightweight title was stripped and subsequently claimed by Nurmagomedov in April.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov will meet in the main event of the UFC 229 pay-per-view show at T-Mobile Arena, the same spot where Mayweather stopped McGregor in the 10th round of their one-sided prizefight.

The announcement comes after McGregor resolved his legal troubles, stemming from an incident in which the fighter whipped a hand truck at a bus carrying UFC fighters during a one-man rampage last April at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

McGregor will avoid jail time and instead serve five days of community service and attent anger management classes. “I’d like to say to my friends, my family and my fans: Thank you for your support,” McGregor said outside the courthouse after the judge delivered his punishment.

Nurmagomedov was the intended target of McGregor’s wrath after a previous spat between the fighters’ camps. Nurmagomedov (26-0), who wasn’t actually on the bus, won the vacant lightweight belt by beating Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn two days after McGregor’s attack, which injured uninvolved fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg.

Once McGregor resolved to return to the octagon earlier this year, Nurmagomedov was the obvious choice to be his next opponent — but the biggest obstacle to this bout appeared to be money. Negotiations for this bout dragged on for many weeks while McGregor argued a highly lucrative deal, even demanding an ownership stake in the UFC in exchange for returning to the cage, and Nurmagomedov also asked for a hefty raise.

The UFC did not disclose the terms of the fight agreement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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