UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Instagram on Thursday and threatened to quit the UFC over its handling of the fallout from the Conor McGregor fight and ensuing brawl. The UFC could fire Nurmagomedov's teammate, Zubaira Tukhugov, for his role in the altercation.
Here's the long message, which he posted twice in both Russian and English:
Tukhugov, a Chechnyan UFC featherweight, is a part of Nurmagomedov's team, and he was scheduled to fight McGregor's teammate, Artem Lobov, at the end of October before he was suspended for his role in the brawl. UFC's suspension stems from his actions after Nurmagomedov leapfrogged the wall of the Octagon to go after the McGregor teammate who was spewing racist vitriol all night. Tukhugov was the teammate who jumped in the Octagon and appeared to slap at a woozy McGregor from behind. He's the one in red here:
The day after the fight, Tukhugov took to his IG page to admit he "slapped him like I promised," according to BloodyElbow. “I promised to make him answer for his words and I did.”
"There are a lot of things here," Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Anthony Marnell said after the brawl. "There are a lot of charges that can be brought against a spectator who came over the barricade, through the commission section and into the Octagon to strike a fighter three times. For the record, I have a massive problem with that. That cannot happen.
"We're taking a really hard look at that gentleman. We know exactly who he is and where he is. I have to let the attorney general determine—is that trespassing, disturbing the peace? That was a serious action and it deserves a serious consequence."
Nurmagomedov also told the UFC in his IG post to "keep my money that you are withholding." He's referring to his $2 million purse the NSAC hasn't released yet, pending further investigation. Unlike Khabib, McGregor received his $3 million purse, even though the NSAC is also investigating him and his team.