Undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 229 delivered on the “bad blood” between its golden boy, Conor McGregor, and the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. In fact, what happened after the fight, which ended with Nurmagomedov forcing McGregor to submit by chokehold in the fourth round, overshadowed a dominant performance by the Muslim fighter from Dagestan, Russia.

Instead of reveling in victory and extending his reign as the lightweight titleholder and first Muslim champion in the UFC, Nurmagomedov taunted McGregor and then rushed to his opponent’s corner. The fight was over, but the one that began well before the first round of their long-anticipated faceoff was still on. With their leader slumped over in defeat, McGregor’s camp directed the sort of personal attacks and bigoted slurs that have colored the entirety of UFC 229, which then lived up to its “bad blood” billing within and especially beyond the Octagon.