The UFC would really like Khabib Nurmagomedov to headline UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi later this year. However, the lightweight champion has steadfastly refused to commit to competing while teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov were suspended for their role in the brawl that followed UFC 229 last October. The pair, if you recall, were banned for a year after entering the octagon without permission to attack Conor McGregor, in addition to being handed nominal fines. Kahbib himself, meanwhile, was banished nine months, but fined $500,000.

Coincidentally, however, both Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Tukhugov saw their suspensions reduced by the Nevada State Athletic Commission at a hearing Wednesday, per a report by ESPN.

The NSAC approved 35 day reductions in sentence that would allow both fighters to get back in action at the beginning of September in exchange for community service. UFC 242 is scheduled to take place September 7, 2019. Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to defend his title against interim champ Dustin Poirier at the event.

However, the status of Nurmagomedov’s teammates remained a concern. That concern has now been eliminated, with news that the pair will return early, the trade-off being that 10 hours of community service be performed.

10 hours to get back 35 days — not a bad trade-off. Although NSAC executive director Bob Bennett confirmed representatives of the fighters reached out to the commission to broker the deal, the move will be highly scrutinized. The brawl that followed UFC 229 was a low point for the sport of mixed martial arts. The new deal, meanwhile, serves the UFC’s best interests first and foremost. No mention as to why the fighters are only now eligible for reduced sentences was given Wednesday, but it’s certainly odd that the option wasn’t offered during the original disciplinary hearings months ago.

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In something of a surprise, Dillon Danis has had his punishment handed down by the NAC for his role in the UFC 229 brawl. Danis, if you recall, was the McGregor teammate who became the focus of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s attack when the Dagestani fighter jumped out of the cage following his win over Conor McGregor that night in October.

Although speculation was that Danis had trash talked or otherwise caught the attention of Nurmagomedov, the champion later admitted that he had not heard a word from Danis. Instead, noticing that McGregor’s other cornermen, including coach John Kavanagh, were too old, Nurmagomedov chose to attack Danis.

Which makes the 7-month suspension handed to Danis Monday something of a head-scratcher. The Nevada Athletic Commission also handed him a $7,500 fine, far less than both McGregor ($50,000) and Nurmagomedov ($500,000). Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, teammates of the champion, were also previously handed one-year suspensions and fines of $25,000.

In way of explanation, the commission stated that Danis was being suspended on an unsportsmanlike conduct charge, given he had to be restrained following the incident, and used obscene gestures throughout.

Danis, a jiu-jitsu standout who made his MMA debut under the Bellator banner in 2018, will be eligible to return to action as of May 6, 2019.

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As odd as it seems in a case where a settlement was agreed upon, Khabib Nurmagomedov seems none too happy with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Khabib’s fate was learned Tuesday, and the UFC’s lightweight champion, who came dangerously close to sparking a riot at UFC 229, will fork over $500,000 to the commission, and sit out up to nine months for his actions. That suspension can be reduced to six months with an anti-bullying PSA, should Nurmagomedov choose to cooperate.

That remains to be seen. Khabib’s immediate reaction to the settlement was to bemoan “politics.”

politics forever

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 29, 2019

https://twitter.com/RM__OS/status/1090305486510047234

After writing “politics forever” on his official Twitter account, he then retweeted an image of McGregor tapping in their fight at UFC 229. Fair enough. Despite agreeing to the punishment, with the settlement being worked out in advance, Khabib did receive the harsher deal. McGregor saw just a $50,000 fine for his own actions after the commission pointed out he was attacked on all sides during the fight, despite throwing first against Abubakar Nurmagomedov. By that point, however, Khabib had already attacked McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis.

Speaking of McGregor, the ‘Notorious’ Irish star posted his own response via Twitter Wednesday.

I am thankful for the Nevada athletic commissions fair assessment and handling of the brawl incident.
It was not my intention to land the final blow of the night on my opponent’s blood relative. It’s just how it played out.
I look forward to competing again soon.
Thank you all.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 30, 2019

“I am thankful for the Nevada athletic commission’s fair assessment and handling of the brawl incident,” he wrote, before getting a dig in at Team Khabib. “It was not my intention to land the final blow of the night on my opponent’s blood relative. It’s just how it played out.”

McGregor then added that he looked forward to competing again soon. The former double-champion recently agreed to fight Cowboy Cerrone, following Cerrone’s dismantling of Alexander Hernandez at UFC Brooklyn. Whether that fight is one the UFC chooses to make, however, remains to be seen.

With his six month suspension, McGregor can return to action as soon as April 6. Nurmagomedov could as well, should he go through with the public service announcement part of his settlement. However, it appears his participation may be in question. Nurmagomedov, who once made the dubious decision to pay homeless men to do push-ups on the street, humiliating them, isn’t exactly the socially conscious type.

Further, per recent reports, Khabib intends to sit out a full year, not just his nine month suspension. He’s apparently furious that teammates Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov were suspended a year each. So any benefit Khabib would take from the PSA would then be lost. Per the champion’s manager, he is also done fighting in Nevada. A return date in New York at Madison Square Garden is a possibility.

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The UFC 229 fallout finally came to an end on Tuesday. Following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s settlement agreement being passed, the matter of Conor McGregor’s punishment was next on the agenda with the NSAC. As with Nurmagomedov, a settlement agreement had already been reached, and McGregor did not attend the hearing in person.

In the end, McGregor was handed a six month suspension, making him eligible to return to action on April 6. Additionally, he’ll pay out a $50,000 fine for his actions at UFC 229, which saw him jump on the cage wall to trade blows with Abubakar Nurmagomedov.

The athletic commission went out of its way to call McGregor’s conduct outside the cage into question, including his actions at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. That, in essence, was the press conference that saw McGregor get extremely personal with Nurmagomedov ahead of UFC 229. However, those incidents were outside the NSAC’s jurisdiction, and the commission noted that there was no precedent to fine fighters for words, even though things had clearly gotten out of control by that point.

However, commissioner Anthony Marnell III pointed out of McGregor that “he’s exhausted, he’s done, he’s been submitted. He responds, obviously, to what’s happening. He takes the first swing at Abubakar. At that point they’re both brought down into the cage, and then Abubakar comes at him, and other people are coming from behind him, and he’s just getting hit from everywhere at that point and trying to defend himself.”

“The different choice that he could have made, that no MMA fighter is going to do,” Marnell stated at Tuesday’s meeting, “is just to sit there and not engage. I understand, in the sport, they’re never going to do that.”

On the flip side, “If he would have not done anything, this hearing wouldn’t be taking place.” Still, Marnell stated on the record that “I just want to make that clear, because they [McGregor’s actions versus Khabib’s] are dramatically different, even though the world may see them as one and the same.”

Commissioner Staci Alonsso noted, however, that this was the second time McGregor had been before the commission, the first being the water bottle throwing incident with Nate Diaz. In the end she was the only NSAC member to vote against the McGregor settlement, which passed in a 4-1 vote.

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Judgement day has arrived. On Tuesday, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov learned his fate for his childish antics following UFC 229 in October. The incident saw Nurmagomedov jump out of the octagon following his victory over Conor McGregor, and attack the Irish fighter’s corner. Nurmagomedov recently revealed that, despite earlier reports, he had not heard any specific comments from McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, and instead attacked Danis because he didn’t want to be seen as targeting McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh, who is older.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported late Monday that a settlement had been reached, which was presented to the NSAC on Tuesday morning. The punishment, in the end, included a hefty fine. Under terms of the settlement agreement between Khabib Nurmagomedov and the Nevada Athletic Commission, the UFC lightweight champion will accept a $500,000 fine for his actions. Additionally, a nine month suspension was agreed upon. However, that suspension can be reduced, by no more than three months, should Nurmagomedov appear in an anti-bullying PSA.

NSAC board member Anthony Marnell III pointed out that “The fine is heavy for misconduct, but the misconduct was heavy, unlike any I have ever seen here.” He did, however, add that “if a PSA is included and is of substantial value, we will reduce the time,” which has been the commission’s practice historically.

The motion for the settlement with Khabib was passed unanimously.

Khabib’s cousin Abubakar, meanwhile, picked up a $25,000 fine and a year-long suspension. He had jumped onto the octagon wall to exchange blows with McGregor after the fight. NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett called Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s agreement a “fair and equitable” punishment, noting that the behavior seen was not something the commission had generally seen in the past.

Zubaira Tukhugov, who notably bragged about attacking McGregor following the melee, also agreed to a 12 month suspension, and $25,000 fine as well.

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The UFC has announced the economic impact of UFC 229 on the local Las Vegas economy. And if the number is to be believed, it is rather impressive. In a press release posted to their official website on Monday, the world’s premiere MMA promotion announced that the event generated “$86.4 million in economic impact for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, according to a study conducted by research firm Applied Analysis.”

UFC 229 took place on October 6, 2018, and was headlined by the grudge match between Conor McGregor and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. That fight ended in chaos when Nurmagomedov elected to jump out of the cage and attack McGregor’s corner after the Russian had already walked away with a submission victory. Luckily, a full-scale riot was avoided, though both Nurmagomedov and McGregor are still facing sanctions. Coincidentally, their hearing with the Nevada Athletic Commission comes tomorrow (January 29), which makes this announcement rather timely.

Per Monday’s press release, UFC 229 set a pair of Las Vegas records for the promotion: attendance (20,034) and ticket revenue ($17,188,894). Southern Nevada saw $17.2 million in salaries and wages from the event, which also supported an estimated 414 jobs in the market.

“During the build up to UFC 229, I said it was going to be the biggest event in UFC’s history, and now we have all the numbers to prove it,” said UFC President Dana White via Monday’s release. “Khabib vs. McGregor smashed our records for Pay-Per-Views, social media impressions, and global viewership, and now we know it set records for economic impact here Las Vegas.  None of this would have been possible without the support from the Las Vegas community and UFC’s loyal fans, the best in sports.”

No word on when either of the headlining pair might fight again, however. While McGregor has been seen training of late and agreed on social media to a fight with Cowboy Cerrone, Khabib Nurmagomedov appears interested in following in McGregor’s footsteps and trying his hand at boxing.

Applied Analysis, founded in 1997, is the parent company of SalesTraq, MyResearcher, and Discovery Nevada.

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MMA 2018 was notable perhaps more so for what what it lacked rather than what it had. Through the first half of the year, there was a real deficit in major events. The big players all seemed hurt or inactive. Bellator launched its heavyweight grand prix, but spread out across a twelve-month span, there was no single event that stole the show in the first half. UFC events seemed to pass by with a yawn.

Then came the second half. The return of Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The 25th anniversary card in Denver. Bellator stormed Hawaii with back-to-back shows. ONE put on Heart of the Lion. UFC 231 in Toronto served up two entertaining title fights.

In the end, one event stood out. Care to guess which?

Event of the Year 2018

Heath Harshman: This was the hardest decision to make, without a true stand-out event taking place in 2018. There were plenty of solid cards, but nothing like a UFC 205, UFC 217, or UFC 218. But at the beginning of 2018, a few great events took place. A couple of events main evented by Jeremy Stephens were near the top of my list, UFC St. Louis and UFC Orlando. But, UFC 220 was the best event of the year. Featuring the prequel to Cormier-Miocic in the summer, with both champs defending their belts in decisive fashion, Boston’s PPV was fantastic. There’s was plenty of other stuff to enjoy, too. An awesome Fight of the Night between Calvin Kattar and Shane Burgos nearly stole the show, while Rob Font knocked out Thomas Almeida with a head-kick.

Mike Straus: Short and sweet — UFC 225.

Jay Anderson: While a lot of folks will focus on the UFC, there’s a very strong argument to be made that Bellator had the event (make that events) of the year when they headed to Hawaii in mid-December. Scott Coker’s promotion did what the UFC has failed to do: bring a major MMA show to the Hawaiian islands. Both companies have popular Hawaiian champions, but just as the UFC failed to bring Joanna Jedrzejczyk to Poland and Conor McGregor to Ireland (when he had his belts), they failed to take Max Holloway home, at least thus far. Bellator did not make the same mistake, putting Ilima-Lei Macfarlane atop Bellator 213, where she came through with the biggest win of her career against Valerie Letourneau. Beyond that, Lyoto Machida made his debut, Neiman Gracie secured a title shot against Rory MacDonald, King Mo was knocked out by Liam McGeary, and a night earlier, Michael Chandler reclaimed lightweight gold just after Frank Mir tapped to strikes against Javy Ayala.

Josh Evanoff: UFC 229 was a giant event that would end up being the largest in the sports history. Selling 2.4 million PPV’s in the process, we saw Conor McGregor’s unsuccessful return to the octagon against Khabib. Khabib dominated and although there was controversy after the fight, it only added on to making the event bigger as the news of the brawl was everywhere. There was also Dominick Reyes’s coming out party, Derrick Lewis’s comeback, and an amazing fight between Anthony Pettis and Tony Ferguson.

Jesse Gillette: UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor is my pick for event of the year. We were treated to Derrick Lewis’ comeback KO against Alexander Volkov, a classic between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis, and also the madness that was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor + the aftermath. Viewers were intrigued from the start of the PPV to its climax and beyond… as we also got to witness Khabib Eagle himself over the cage to stomp out Dillon Danis, while McGregor instigated a group of thugs from Dagestan and started his own drama inside the cage. We’re still feeling the effects of that one.

Eddie Law: An improbable comeback by one of MMA’s most entertaining personalities when The Black Beast came back with a massive KO win in the last seconds of the fight, two high-level lightweight former champs putting together a ridiculously bloody fight, and the main event that was completely dwarfed by the chaos that followed it. UFC 229 was the craziest event and THE event of the year.

Paarth Pande: UFC 229. Any event that has a McGregor fight on is exciting. The buildup, the fight card, and the main event everything was awesome. Starting from Lewis’s hot balls comment, to Aspen Ladd’s knockout to the crazy Pettis vs Tony fight. The undercard delivered. Plus McGregor vs Khabib was fun. Khabib effectively shut McGregor down and the post-fight brawl was even more exciting.

Farzin Vousoughian: UFC 229. It had everything. The comedy from Derrick Lewis, the brawl from Anthony Pettis and return of Tony Ferguson, and of course, the highly anticipated fight between Khabib and Conor, plus the aftermath. The UFC did not like it, but let’s be honest, it had a lot of eyes and everyone was talking about it for days.

Mike McClory: I’m going with UFC 229 but not because of Conor and Khabib. This was very entertaining card that saw finishes from the opening bout until the very end. The only real negative of this card was the melee that kicked off after Khabib and Conor’s main event, but for some that might be reason enough to watch.

Dan Doherty: UFC 229. With the most pay-per-view buys of all-time by a longshot at 2.24 million, this was likely many people’s first time watching an event, and boy did it deliver. It started with Michelle Waterson showing her skills, then we had an incredible comeback by Derrick Lewis, leading to the greatest post-fight interview of all-time. Dominick Reyes proved to be one of the top talents at 205, then there was a Fight of the Year candidate between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis in the co-main event. It all culminated with a matchup years in the making between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Khabib wiped the floor with the Irish superstar, then all hell broke loose with a post-fight brawl. Of course, that left a black eye on things, but finally being able to see those two battle and the preceding great fights/performances make UFC 229 the event of the year.

Gabriel Gonzalez: UFC 226. Now this one was tough. 223 in Brooklyn easily had the craziest week. 229 for Khabib vs McGregor was the biggest card. BUT, on fight night the card that delivered to me was 226 with the champ vs champ fight. History, upsets, and great performances throughout. Only one blemish, and that was Ngannou vs Lewis which will live in infamy.

The end result: With no other event getting more than a single vote, UFC 229 was the Event of the Year 2018!

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MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi first reported the NSAC’s decision to delay Khabib Nurmagomedov’s disciplinary hearing to January 29, rather than today. This action resulted from a failure by the NSAC and Khabib’s legal team to reach a disciplinary decision.

The disciplinary hearing, of course, is in regards to the brawl that followed the UFC 229 main event between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Khabib leapt over the cage to attack McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, and while that was happening, two of Khabib’s teammate jumped into the cage to attack McGregor (after McGregor struck one who was hanging over the cage). The UFC did not levy any punishment against either fighter back in October, and the NSAC still has yet to come to a ruling for either fighter involved.

Conor McGregor’s hearing was also supposed to take place today, but his continuance was granted last week. NSAC Director Bob Bennett also told MMA Fighting that McGregor’s hearing would likely happen on the same day as Nurmogomedov’s, which is on January 29.

Khabib Nurmagomedov won the vacant lightweight title against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, and defended his title for the first time at the aforementioned fight against McGregor. He is undefeated with an incredible record of 27-0 in his career, 11 of which came inside the Octagon.

With the lightweight division full to the brim with worthy contenders, having the champion held out of action due to a legal stalemate does the sport a disservice. Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson both have more than worthy cases to fight for the title next, and will in all likelihood not want to fight each other in the meantime. This has been a theme for the 155-pound ranks since McGregor won the title: plenty of great fighters, and very few title fights.

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On October 6, when Aspen Ladd battled former Invicta FC queen Tonya Evinger, not many expected the younger Ladd to walk out victorious. Evinger was entering the fight with experience of over a decade and a record of 19-7, which included wins over the likes of Yana Kunitskaya, Pannie Kianzad, Cindy Dandois, Irene Aldana, and Sarah D’Alelio. Ladd, on the other hand, was taking the fight on short notice and also had trouble with her weight cut. Under these circumstances, very few were giving the undefeated prospect any chances.

However, the fight turned out to be very different than expected. After initially having trouble with Evinger’s striking, the MMA Gold Fight Team prospect managed to trip the veteran fighter to the ground and unloaded a barrage of hammer fists. She then, while roaring like a lioness, secured back mount and unleashed a bombardment of shots which resulted in referee stopping the match. At 3:26 of the very first round, Ladd managed to finish “Triple Threat”, a feat fighters like current UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann couldn’t achieve. This win also earned Ladd, her first ever Performance of the Night bonus.

With the win, Ladd improved her record to 7-0, out of which, only one has gone the distance. Also by securing this win, she enters the short list of contenders for the women’s bantamweight title. However, she is still at least two matches away before securing a title shot, Ladd now enters a phase where she begins her journey for the title shot. She still is clearly behind the likes of Germaine De Randamie, Ketlen Vieira, Cat Zingano, and Raquel Pennington but this win put her somewhere in between a prospect and a contender.

Aspen the Fighter

Though a very well rounded fighter, Aspen Ladd primarily relies on her grappling and aggressive top game to secure wins. A purple belt in BJJ, Ladd usually moves inside to set up a takedown. After managing to take the fight to the ground, she usually seeks mount and then lands vicious elbow shots. In her career so far, this gameplan has seemed to provide excellent dividends, and that is despite the fact that she at times has faced way more experienced grapplers. This occurs because Ladd, apart from having a strong ground and pound attack, is also a very smart fighter.

She knows when and how to set up takedowns, how to push fighters against the cage, land nice combinations, and secure mount. A perfect example of her using better presence of mind was seen in her last fight. Despite being dominated early in the round by Evinger’s striking, Ladd managed to turn the tide by tripping the former Invicta FC champ and dragging Evinger to ground. It was there where she kept a firm grip on the veteran, who tried to scramble out of the position multiple times. Evinger, who’s known for toughing her way out of such positions, couldn’t do much against the undersized Ladd because of her perfect timing of stuffing “Triple Threat.” For a 23-year-old that’s an amazing display of the mental side of martial arts

Next Matchup

As stated earlier, Aspen Ladd is one of the brightest prospects at 135. The division, which has been home to the likes of Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, today faces a shortage of elite fighters. In times like these, having a prospect like Ladd who brings in the element of excitement to fights is really refreshing. Ladd so far has managed to live up to her hype, but from now on, the journey is going to get way tougher. She will now actually have to compete in the deep waters. Look for her to face Irene Aldana or Cat Zingano in her next bout.

In the case that she faces Zingano, she faces an extremely aggressive wrestler. Zingano comes in with a record of 10-3, and recently bounced back from a three-fight losing streak by defeating Marion Reneau. A former title challenger, Zingano is the perfect matchup for Ladd. If the two lock horns, it will be an aggressive wrestling battle where ground and pound will make the difference.

If she faces Aldana, things get a bit tricky. Ladd has a natural tendency of moving forward and getting inside her opponents reach. If she does that against a striker like Aldana, she exposes herself to a variety of shots, some of which are capable of knocking Ladd out. At the very same time, Ladd’s amazing ground game could give Aldana serious trouble. This will turn out to be more than a traditional striker vs. grappler match as the two are very exciting fighters. Other possible matches include facing Marion Reneau, Yana Kunitskaya, Bethe Correia, and Julianna Pena.

Is Ladd the Future?

Is Aspen Ladd the future of the women’s bantamweight division? At the present moment, it looks like it. You do have prospects like Lisa Spangler (3-0), Pannie Kianzad (10-3), Julia Avil (5-1), Alexa Conners (5-2), Brittney Victoria Grizzelle (2-0), and Shanna Young (4-1), but none of them have faced the same level of competition as Ladd or have found the same level of success as her. The only one who stands out is Ketlen Viera.

This brings us to the second part, the present day elite fighters. The current lot of top fighters aren’t what you’d call old, but they aren’t young either. So by the time Ladd actually hits her prime, the present day fighters will start fading. Nunes and Pennington both are 30, Germaine De Randamie is 34, Holly Holm is 37, and Marion Reneau is 41. Most of them will be at the end of their primes when Ladd reaches her full potential. With that being said, Ladd certainly has a high probability of becoming the future of bantamweight division.

However, she has trouble making 135-pound limit. The problem is bound to increase as she grows older. If she wants to be the future of the division, she has to ensure that she can make it to the bantamweight limit consistently. If not controlled, this weight cutting factor might intensify to a point where it can start affecting Ladd’s performance.

Plus, she is a bit undersized. Most bantamweights, especially those in the elite rankings, are large in frame. That can become a strong factor which plays against Ladd. Her style requires her to have either a size advantage or at least equal size. She can be in a lot of trouble against larger and more skilled opposition.

Overall, Aspen Ladd does have the skillset to make it big. However, how far she does go is something that is difficult to predict.

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We won’t fully know the outcome of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s investigation into the brawl at UFC 229 for a while yet. However in a hearing Wednesday, the decision to extend the suspensions of each man involved until a meeting in December was announced. As was the the move to release half of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s purse. The $2 million dollar disclosed payout he received for defeating Conor McGregor at UFC 229 had previously been withheld in full by the commission.

McGregor’s purse was paid in its entirety after the fight.

Per a report by MMA Junkie, Nevada deputy attorney general Caroline Bateman laid out the commission’s case, calling Nurmagomedov the “catalyst” for the brawl that erupted in the aftermath of UFC 229 earlier this month. Both fighter’s actions in the melee that ensued represented a “discredit to unarmed combat” and “unsportsmanlike conduct.”

Neither fighter was present at Wednesday’s hearing, though both will be required to attend December’s meeting. Their suspensions are extended at least until that date.

“I understand that the Nevada State Athletic Commission is doing a thorough investigation, which I am confident will benefit my client, Conor McGregor,” McGregor manager Audie Attar suggested in a statement released on Wednesday.

Curiously, Zubaira Tukhugov, who was yanked from UFC Moncton’s co-main event for attacking McGregor at UFC 229, was not mentioned at the hearing. The investigation, however, is ongoing, it was noted.

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