Conor McGregor taps to a tight Khabib Nurmagomedov neck crank, who jumps the cage and nearly incites a riot after his victory
- Khabib Nurmagomedov just defeated Conor McGregor.
- McGregor tapped when Khabib Nurmagomedov applied a tight neck crank in the fourth round of a highly-entertaining UFC 229 main event.
- But the UFC's biggest fight in history was marred when Nurmagomedov jumped out the cage and nearly incited a riot when he seemingly charged at McGregor's friend Dillon Danis.
- Read all of Business Insider's UFC 229 coverage here.
Conor McGregor just lost.
The Irishman, who was returning to UFC after a two-year absence, tapped when Khabib Nurmagomedov applied a tight neck crank in the fourth round of a highly-entertaining UFC 229 main event.
But Nurmagomedov spoiled the victory when he jumped over the fence of the cage and nearly incited a riot, when he seemingly looked to attack McGregor's friend Dillon Danis.
Here's how it all went down…
The main event took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 6.
McGregor, who performed his billionaire's strut before the opening bell, amid Irish-green lighting and atmospheric fog, was in the UFC octagon first, before the reigning and defending UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov.
As soon as Nurmagomedov was within the confines of the 750-square-foot cage, security continually blocked McGregor from pacing further than the centre of the Octagon, so the Irishman could not instigate any bad blood before it was time.
The fighters, who refused to touch gloves, got to settle their rivalry, one that has included an attack on a bus, the New York police department, and anger management classes, at approximately 9.40 p.m., in Las Vegas.
McGregor was the first to throw a significant shot, a head-high kick, but within a minute Nurmagomedov had the fight where he wanted it - the mat, as he wrapped his legs around McGregor's and asserted a dominated position, much to the crowd's chagrin who booed, loudly.
Though McGregor took little damage in the opening round, it was a round won dominantly by the Russian, who was in complete control on the ground.
In the second round, Nurmagomedov started where he left off, rocking McGregor with a powerful right hand to the jaw, before lifting him off the ground and taking him back to the ground, wrestling McGregor against the fence.
When Nurmagomedov had McGregor on the floor, he sent hammer fists into the 30-year-old's face … his nose, his chin … and even trash-talked McGregor while he was down there. The ground-and-pound increased in violence, and all McGregor could do was defend, badly.
With 90 seconds left on the clock, Nurmagomedov, using all his strength, began to apply locks, but McGregor - looking exhausted - was able to get back to his feet before the end of the round.
It was to his credit that McGregor was able to survive the round, and had more success in the third stanza as a striking fight broke out when both fighters exchanged punches. Nurmagomedov attempted takedowns, but McGregor was able to defend, cleverly, showing there was fight in the old dog yet.
While the third may have been McGregor's first successful round in the bank, he failed to take the momentum into the fourth, where Nurmagomedov was able to take McGregor back to the mat, rain punches down to his face, and force the Irishman to tap with a tight neck crank.
McGregor lost the war, it was one-sided, as Nurmagomedov won decisively. The unbeaten beast extended his undefeated record to 27 wins from 27 fights, and undoubtedly just added the biggest scalp of his career by submitting McGregor.
However, for Nurmagomedov, the fight did not end there. He mounted the fence in a flash, left the cage completely, and seemingly charged at McGregor's friend and fellow fighter Dillon Danis. It was an act that could have started a riot, as pandemonium ensued cage-side - an act that attracted wide condemnation from those in the industry.
"He's going to get fined," UFC commentator Joe Rogan said, before adding he may also get suspended.
On Nurmagomedov's victory, former UFC middleweight world champion Michael Bisping said on BT Sport: "That was revenge, that was all he had to do."
However, Bisping added: "But then he ruins it on an epic scale. He possibly faces criminal charges, his visa revoked, his license."
Bisping later said: "He might get kicked out the country. I'm an Englishman with a green card, you can't mess around. You can't dive over the cage and assault people. Visas aren't given to criminals."