Khabib Nurmagomedov Says He Does Not Want To Fight In Las Vegas Again
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has no plans to fight in Las Vegas anytime in the near future.
Nurmagomedov, of course, last fought there at UFC 229 last October where he defeated Conor McGregor to retain his lightweight crown. Afterward, he incited the infamous post-fight brawl that saw both competitors later suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
Nurmagomedov was given a nine-month retroactive suspension while he was also fined $500,000. That amount was deducted from the $1 million the NSAC was already withholding from Nurmagomedov’s purse money. McGregor, meanwhile, was given a six-month suspension and a fine of $50,000, which still hasn’t sat well with “The Eagle”:
“What happens in Vegas stay in Vegas,” Nurmagomedov said reflecting about what happened at UFC 229. “Everybody saw what happened in Vegas. Victory in my sight, we smashed him, smashed all his team.
“About city, I don’t know, I don’t want to fight in Vegas anymore. They take his money and they take my money 10 more times. It is not about money. It is about how the whole process is going. I don’t want to fight in Vegas.“
That doesn’t mean Nurmagomedov will never attend a UFC event if it takes place in Las Vegas. After all, it is the fight capital of the world as well as where the promotion is headquartered. And so, he will definitely attend as a fan. Just don’t expect him to compete:
“If some great fight happens in Vegas, I’m going to go and just watch,” he added. “But I don’t want to fight anymore in Vegas.”
Nurmagomedov’s next fight is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi when he competes in a lightweight title unification bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on September 7.
