Khabib Nurmagomedov Wanted to Attack John Kavanagh; Coach Recalls Conor McGregor Brawl at UFC 229

The night of October 6th, 2018, is arguably the most infamous in UFC history. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas saw UFC 229: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, the culmination of a months-long heated rivalry. More than the fight itself, it was Khabib jumping into the crowd to attack Dillon Danis and the chaos that ensued, which remains the highlight of the night. Now, a recent confession has revealed how Danis and McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh just avoided ‘The Eagles’ talons as he swooped in for the blue corner.

There was a story behind the build-up to the ‘Eagle’s’ UFC 229 grudge against Conor McGregor. As everybody already knows, this was marked by the ‘Notorious’ trash-talking Khabib and everything he held dear. According to the Dagestani’s coach, his disciple did a great job of containing his anger and emotions until the fight was over. He gave his answer through a humiliating fourth-round submission loss. However, there was a brief verbal exchange after the fight, which led to a huge brawl where he attacked Danis, who was in Macgregor’s corner.

Javier Mendez reveals why Khabib attacked Dillon Danis only

The events of the night remain a black patch on the sport of MMA and the UFC. Danis was throwing abuses at Nurmagomedov during the fight and continued to do so after the Russian submitted McGregor, which resulted in this brawl. Khabib’s coach Javier Mendez recently discussed the same with Bryan Rose.

He also hilariously pointed out how the 29-0 MMA star attacked Danis and did not go for McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh. He described the story saying, “After the fight was over, I was happy I turned round giving everybody a high 5 you know…. And I hear this commotion and I turn around…I see someone flying over the cage and it was Khabib and I’m like …’oh no.’”

He continued, “Oh boy we’re in trouble, we’re in trouble…Daniel [Cormier] calmed him down…. Dana [White] wouldn’t put on the belt, so I put the belt on him.” Mendez also remarked as to why Danis was attacked and said, “Yes, and Dillon was talking smack from the beginning but people don’t know is, this is the thing he wanted to get all of him, but Dillon was the younger of the two and said his father [Abdulmanap] would have killed him if he went after John [Kavanagh]… so he went after Dillon for that reason only.”

Khabib had also addressed the same and told Submission Radio that he could not hear Danis in the middle of the crowd. However, he still attacked Danis because McGregor’s coaches John Kavanagh and Owen Roddy were too old for him to attack, and Danis was closer to his age. Further, the former lightweight champion talked about his violent streak as well.

Khabib Nurmagomedov confessed to his violent side

Even though Khabib had composed himself till he finished McGregor, his violence was insatiable for a brief moment. Long before the fight was announced, McGregor had not only attacked him on the bus, but he had also gone after his family and religion.

He also confessed previously, “Would I have let go? No, I wouldn’t have. It’s that moment when your emotional state reaches its peak, touching the ceiling. He and I knew what we were going for. It’s not like when you meet someone on the street and start choking him. He is one of the best fighters in the world. We were appointed to fight in half a year; we go out and find out who is the best. Would I kill him? I don’t think I would kill him but to the point of passing out, yes.”

However, he retired after his third title defense, just months after his father’s demise, in 2020. Presently, he is living away from the world of MMA. His legacy lives on with Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC Octagon.

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