Video Shows Fans Brawl In Lobby After McGregor Vs. Khabib Fight, One Man Brutally Knocked Out Cold
The chaos that erupted after the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight wasn’t just in the octagon — video shows fans brawling in the lobby of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after the bout as well.
The main event of UFC 229 ended in a chaotic scene with fights breaking out in the octagon after McGregor submitted to Khabib. The Russian threw his mouthguard toward McGregor’s team after the win, then jumped into the crowd to fight McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, USA Today noted.
The skirmishes eventually ended as security and Las Vegas police stepped in, leading some away in handcuffs. But fans decided to keep the bad blood going after the fight was over, with the violence spilling out into the arena’s lobby. Video shared on Twitter shows large groups of fans brawling, tossing chairs and throwing haymakers.
In one of the videos, a fan was knocked out cold and fell to the floor of the arena, where several people gathered, some taking pictures of him. It was not clear what sparked the brawl.
Tension in the arena had been high since before the main event even kicked off. As USA Today noted, the animosity between the fighters had already been growing for months.
“The bad blood between the fighters was long and bitter. Back in April, McGregor unleashed an infamous attack on a bus carrying Nurmagomedov in Brooklyn. The Irishman had also repeatedly taunted his rival in the lead-up to the bout in a series of insults.”
The bad blood was on display as members of each fighter’s respective teams brawled, and three members of Khabib’s team were arrested in the melee.
ABSOLUTE CHAOS
Khabib goes into the stands and fights a member of McGregor’s team
Member of Nurmagomedov’s team strikes Conor in the Octagon pic.twitter.com/G7BGNhnoou
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 7, 2018
There were some who predicted that the animosity between the fighters had the potential to spill over into the crowd. Retired MMA fighter and analyst Brendan Schaub said in an interview before the fight that he did not plan to go for fear of violence in the crowd between fans of McGregor and fans of Khabib.
“I would not go to this fight,” he said, adding, “I think something is going to happen in the crowd between the Russians and the Irish. They hate each other so bad. It’s gotten bigger than just a UFC fight. It’s so hostile.”
Video of fans brawling after the McGregor vs. Khabib fight can be seen here, but be warned that it contains violent scenes and may be disturbing for some viewers.
