When Khabib Nurmagomedov almost hit Leonardo DiCaprio during post-fight brawl at UFC 229
UFC 229 was marred by a post-fight brawl that saw Khabib Nurmagomedov furiously leap out of the cage and attack Dillon Danis. Jumping over the fence, Khabib leaped high into the air to confront the Bellator star.
According to 'The Eagle', an unexpected guest had graced the T-Mobile Arena with his presence and wasn't far away from where his scuffle with Danis took place. It was none other than Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio.
The actor sat cageside to witness Khabib's clash with Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The Dagestani fighter said DiCaprio reminded him how close he was to getting hit when he'd attacked Danis.
"He’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) a big fan (of MMA). He told me, 'I was sitting 5 meters away (you jumped the cage at UFC 229), you nearly landed on me!'," Nurmagomedov told Match TV. "We chatted... he invited us to dinner in a restaurant in the center of Paris. It was interesting for me how he would sit there. He’s a regular guy, but it was surprising to me, when people came up to him for a photo, he said ‘I don’t take photos.’ I asked why, and he said it’s not possible to make everyone happy," Khabib Nurmagomedov added (Transciption courtesy of RT.com).
Khabib defeated Conor McGregor in the pay-per-view's main event. The show accumulated 2.4 million PPV buys - the highest in the promotion's history.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor received hefty fines for the UFC 229 post-fight brawl
In the aftermath of the infamous post-fight events, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were suspended for nine and six months respectively. Both fighters also received a $50,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
Following the incident, the Russian apologized to the NSAC and UFC for his behavior. Khabib said his actions didn't reflect his true character.
The 32-year-old has since competed in the UFC on two occasions. He finished Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 via submission and put on a dominant performance against Justin Gaethje in October 2020 at UFC 254. Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport following his win over Gaethje.