Count former UFC champion Chuck Liddell those that watched as Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov hurt the image of the sport he helped create this past Saturday night.
Moments after Nurmagomedov successfully defended his lightweight title with a fourth round submission win over McGregor, the unbeaten “Eagle” jumped from the Octagon and into a mass of people to attack Dillon Danis, a teammate of McGregor’s.
While officials were working to separate those two, Nurmagomedov’s teammates stormed the Octagon to go after McGregor.
Liddell, on Instagram, commented:
“Incredible performance by both fighters Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. But to end it like they did was a huge embarrassment to the sport. We (fighters)are sportsmen and champions and we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. We owe it to our fans and the sport itself.
“I don’t know when things started turning into some kind of shit show?!!! Unfortunately, when you allow more and more B.S. during weigh ins and outside of fights; You only slap fighters on the wrist for acting like barbarians and then offer them bigger contracts and reward them for this behavior.
“There is no penalty for their actions and it condones this type of behavior and consequently our sport loses its sacred respect.”