Did Conor McGregor cheat in his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229?
Many believe Conor McGregor used questionable tactics during his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
McGregor has always been one of the most controversial figures in sports, thanks to his troublemaking outside the UFC cage. But many fans have pointed out that the Irishman has had his fair share of shenanigans in the octagon, specifically during his title bout with then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The issue did not become a huge talking point as Khabib Nurmagomedov dominantly retained his crown. Nonetheless, cheating is frowned upon in professional sport, and those who dabble in it should be looked at carefully by officials.
So, what were the illegal moves that Conor McGregor used against Khabib Nurmagomedov?
Conor McGregor grabbed the cage
It's no secret that Khabib Nurmagomedov's game plan has always been to shoot for a takedown and overwhelm his opponents with ground strikes and submission attempts. Conor McGregor evidently tried to neutralize Khabib Nurmagomedov's offense by utilizing some dirty tricks.
"When a fighter's fingers or toes go through the cage and grab hold of the fence and start to control either their body position or their opponent's body position it now becomes an illegal action," the Unified Rules of MMA state.
In round two, Conor McGregor grabbed the cage to defend from Khabib Nurmagomedov's suffocating barrage.
Cage-grabbing is a common foul in MMA as fighters instinctively hold on to anything they can when they're on the verge of getting taken to the ground.
McGregor, however, intentionally grabbed the cage with his toes to prevent Khabib Nurmagomedov from completing a kimura attempt. Perplexingly, referee Herb Dean ignored McGregor's antics on multiple occasions.
Conor McGregor pulled Khabib Nurmagomedov's shorts
Khabib Nurmagomedov wasted no time looking for a takedown in the opening round. But it took a while before 'The Eagle' successfully took Conor McGregor to the ground as the Irishman kept holding onto Khabib Nurmagomedov's trunks.
The Unified MMA Rules that the UFC has been implementing state that fighters cannot grab an opponent's shorts or gloves. An excerpt reads:
"A fighter may not control their opponent's movement by holding onto their opponent's shorts or gloves. A fighter may hold onto or grab their opponent's hand as long as they are not controlling the hand only by using the material of the glove, but by actually gripping the hand of the opponent. It is legal to hold onto your own gloves or shorts."
Once the Dagestani had finally put McGregor's back on the mat, the Irishman continued to hold onto his trunks, preventing the champion from moving to a more dominant position.
Conor McGregor threw some illegal strikes
Illegal strikes have caused multiple disqualifications in the UFC. Jon Jones suffered the first and only loss of his career when he smashed Matt Hamill with a 12 to 6 elbow strike. More recently, Petr Yan lost his UFC bantamweight title after hitting a grounded Aljamain Sterling with a knee to the head.
But not Conor McGregor.
While defending against Khabib Nurmagomedov's takedown, Conor McGregor blasted Khabib with a 12 to 6 o'clock elbow to the side of the head. Twice! On the ground, McGregor also stung Khabib with a sneaky knee strike to the head, an illegal move given that both fighters are grounded.
After multiple fouls, Conor McGregor somehow evaded disqualification or even a point deduction.