UFC 229: Chuck Liddell Blasts UFC Over Ugly, Post-Fight Brawl

The fallout from UFC 229’s post-fight brawl continues, as various figures throughout MMA and sports continue to weigh-in on the ugly incident.

Instead of talking about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s masterful, submission win over Conor McGregor, the spotlight remains on the fact the lightweight champ went after McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, triggering an all out brawl.

Case in point, recently Chuck Liddell posted the comments below on Instagram:

Both sides were in the wrong here! However, this is what you should expect when you start to reward fighters for this kind of behavior and when you use a video of a bus attack to promote a fight. Oh and btw look who threw the first punch inside the ring before “he got jumped unprovoked” This UFC is not what we old timers built with our blood and sweat! It’s unacceptable!

Incredible performance by both fighters @thenotoriousmma 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.

Liddell certainly isn’t the only person who’s aired this opinion since Saturday night. Leading up to the fight, many people questioned the UFC’s decision to not discipline McGregor for his well documented actions at the media day for UFC 223. That, of course, was prompted by a run in between Khabib and Conor’s longtime friend, Artem Lobov, which saw the latter get slapped.

So, when McGregor ramped up his verbal assault on Khabib, and dived into sensitive political, cultural and historical issues while doing so, more than a few people predicted things would go off the rails at UFC 229. Yes, more security was brought in for the highly anticipated card, but, as we know now, it wasn’t enough.

Now it remains to be seen if Khabib is suspended by commission, and whether the UFC enacts its own disciplinary actions here. Yes, McGregor wasn’t sanctioned by the UFC directly earlier this year, but due to the outcry that Saturday’s brawl has caused, things could be different this time around.

Liddell, meanwhile, is preparing for a November 24th bout with longtime rival, Tito Ortiz.