Why the upcoming UFC title fight is being billed as the biggest in its history

 

This Saturday (October 6th), Conor McGregor will make his long awaited return to the UFC; competing in the Octagon for the first time since November 2016. Inside the cage, McGregor is known as the first man to be a simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC, a feat that has only been replicated by former US Olympic wrestler and current pound-for-pound #1 fighter, Daniel Cormier.

 

In his December 2015 fight to claim the Featherweight title, McGregor ended the five-year reign of then-champion Jose Aldo in 13 seconds. Aldo held a remarkable 25-1 record entering the contest. Less than a year later, Conor fought Lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, ending the fight late in the second round. In both matches, it was the devastating power of McGregor’s left hand that allowed him to make quick work of both men.

 

The biggest reason for Conor’s extended departure from the UFC? A 2017 boxing match with the undisputed greatest competitor of his generation within the sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr., with whom McGregor held his own against until a 10th round stoppage in favor of Mayweather. The fight made both men richer by hundreds of millions of dollars (no, really), and generated 4.3 million PPV buys, falling short of only Mayweather v. Pacquiao (4.5 million buys) to become the 2nd most viewed live pay-per-view event of all time.

 

McGregor’s professional boxing experience before the contest with Floyd? None. Zilch. Nada.

 

Now with a rap sheet like that, no one would argue that Conor hasn’t more than earned the right to be known as “Notorious”, but as impressive as all of these accolades may be, none of them truly deified the Irishmen on the same scale as what transpired on April 5th, 2018. Two days prior (April 3rd), an altercation took place between Russian fighter and well known training partner/personal friend of McGregor, Artem Lobov, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hails from Dagestan (which is a subject of Russia) and was scheduled to compete for McGregor’s vacated Lightweight title that very weekend. During their confrontation, Khabib put his hands on Artem with the perceived intention of intimidation or inflicting harm.

 

Fast forward to April 5th, 2018. After all of the fighters competing at UFC 223 (including Nurmagomedov) had finished their media obligations for the day and were on the buses to return to the hotel, a crew of approximately twenty men (including Artem Lobov) led by McGregor were granted entrance into the Barclays Center by credentialed members of his own promotional team (The Mac Life). They located the bus that, along with several other fighters, was transporting Nurmagomedov and his team and attacked it. McGregor was caught on several security cameras and individually recorded videos throwing a dolly directly into the front windshield of the bus, incidentally cutting two fighters (Michael Chiesa & Ray Borg) via the shattered glass. Later that night, both McGregor and one of his accomplices turned themselves in to the NYPD

So where is all of this going, exactly? The day after McGregor’s bus attack and subsequent arrest, UFC President Dana White could be seen on every sports media outlet imaginable claiming this was “the darkest day in UFC history” and attempting to squash any idea that what took place could be a stunt. To be fair, the evidence does lend him some credibility. Not only was the biggest star in the history of the sport currently in jail, but Conor’s attack also resulted in three fights being removed for the 223 card. Artem Lobov lost his fight with Alex Caceres due to his involvement in the attack, while Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were removed from matches with Anthony Pettis and Brandon Moreno (respectively) as a result of injuries that occured.

 

On April 7th, two days after Conor and a throng of his goons got off a private jet from Ireland and executed an attack on his bus, Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision to become the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. His record? A perfect 26-0

 

On July 26th, Conor McGregor pled no contest to one count of disorderly conduct, and was ordered to serve five days of community service, as well as face evaluation for an anger management program. He did not serve any jail time, nor did he face any travel restrictions moving forward. It is worth noting that McGregor was initially charged with three counts of assault, one count of criminal mischief, and counts of menacing and reckless endangerment that were tacked on at his arraignment.

 

In these two instances, one man had fought for a title, while the other fought the laws that govern our society. And as a surprise to virtually no one with a clue, both had come out victorious. This is why the upcoming main event of UFC 229 has been rightfully billed as the biggest contest in the history of the sport. Simply put, both inside the cage and outside of it, these fighters have collectively covered every single base of what we, the viewing public, perceive to be possible, and even impossible.

 

Nurmagomedov’s life story reads like something out of a Greek myth. A quick YouTube search can grant you the privilege of viewing Khabib as child engaged in a wrestling match with a young bear. Now before you enter total disbelief, the bear was tethered by a chain, but still…holy fuck. Fast forward to the present, where not only is Nurmagomedov a perfect 26-0 in professional MMA fights, but he’s never even lost a round on a judge’s scorecard. Some with access to his training camp have even claimed that Khabib engages in gauntlet-style sessions with as many as five other men; competing with each one-on-one until his current opponent quits, and then the next one enters. Still, none have conquered him.

 

So why then is Nurmagomedov being regarded as only a slight betting favorite, and the underdog amongst the public? Maybe it’s due to the fact that his opponent, known by many as “Mystic Mac”, has often looked far more magical than any of us can explain. Coming into this fight, sports pundits and fans alike have called into question whether McGregor possesses the wrestling acumen to simply survive against Khabib on the mat. But in the standup, it’s Conor that has earned the respect, and fear, of millions. Just looking at his physiology, McGregor has a notably broad, lengthy build for 145 lbs, and is still above average in those features at 155 lbs. He’s also competed twice at 170 lbs, going 1-1 against fan favorite Nate Diaz. His unorthodox movements, level changes, and plastering striking power have allowed him to crack virtually every man he’s faced thus far.

 

Perhaps what’s being missed in all of the hype and promotion for UFC 229 is that, on Saturday, October 6th, the combat sports world will witness a very different kind of battle between David & Goliath. One in which none of us will have any clue which one is David and which is Goliath until the cage closes and the action unfolds. Because let there be no doubt, both fighters compliment each other perfectly with regards to possessing vulnerabilities where the other is viewed as a world-class master.

 

Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon for the first time in two years to face a man that is capable of more smothering grappling output than any competitor he has ever faced or even fathomed. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov will put his feckless record and Lightweight gold on the line against a man who has used the fight game to elevate himself to the level of a modern deity, and also claimed two legitimate, undisputed titles (and boxing immortality) along the way.

 

The scariest thing is that the facts covered here only scratch the surface of the feud between McGregor and Nurmagomedov. There’s also a deep and very personal element of psychological warfare that Conor has refined over the years, and it’s arguably reached an apex with Khabib. Whether it was Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, or now Nurmagomedov, McGregor has wielded an unrelenting ability to make his opponents absolutely revile him. And while that might sound like a useful emotion to have at your disposal during a fight, the overwhelming evidence suggests that emotions like pride, anger, and loathing can be just disruptive as fear.

 

Pair that with the fact that, in the weeks leading up to this contest, Conor has used the minimal time he’s given to the media to verbally attack members of Khabib’s family and inner circle on everything from a political to personal level (including Khabib himself). And for what it’s worth, in a recent episode of the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, current Showtime MMA/Boxing personality and former UFC Heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub claims that the captain of Nurmagomedov’s camp, Josh Thompson, told him that this is it for “The Eagle”.

 

 

As fight fans, the most that any of us can ask for from a “blockbuster” main event is that any foreseeable outcome is within the realm of possibility. With “McGregor v. Nurmagomedov”, the UFC has already achieved that goal with what seems like minimal effort, because both of these men have already written the impossible into reality.