It should really come as a surprise to no one that chaos reigned supreme Saturday night at UFC 229.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his lightweight title with a fourth round submission win over Conor McGregor, anything good from the bout was thrown out the window.
Nurmagomedov climbed over the Octagon walls in search of Dillon Danis, a teammate of McGregor’s, and McGregor, moments after being defeated for just the second time in the UFC, was hit by a teammate of Nurmagomedov’s from behind.
UFC president Dana White instructed Nurmagomedov to leave without placing the title belt around his waist.
In the co-main event, Tony Ferguson scored a TKO victory over Anthony Pettis to possibly secure himself the role of No. 1 contender. Pettis’ corner called a stop to the bout after the second round.
And for as intense as the war of words was between Nurmagomedov and McGregor, the unbeaten champion and Ferguson also went back and forth several times. They have also had a handful of fights called off.
In a light heavyweight contest, Dominick Reyes picked up a clean sweep of all three rounds on all three scorecards over Ovince Saint Preux.
Derrick Lewis scored one of the biggest upsets in recent years, as he knocked out Alexander Volkov with just seconds remaining in the third round.
Down on the scorecards, Lewis connected, ending the fight with 11 seconds remaining. The two had to be separated after the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday when there was a brief exchange.
Lewis endeared himself to the crowd and everyone watching with his post-fight interview exchange with Joe Rogan:
Former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson cruised to her second consecutive victory, picking up a decision over Felice Herrig. The strawweight contest opened up the main card.
The night kicked off in thrilling fashion, as Tony Martin delivered a third round knockout of Ryan LaFlare with a head-kick. Nik Lentz followed that up by finishing former UFC lightweight title contender Gray Maynard after he landed a head kick of his own.
Yana Kunitskaya earned a decision over Lina Lansberg, as did Jussier Formiga vs. Sergio Pettis. Between those two fights, Scott Holtzman, Aspen Ladd and Vicente Luque claimed knockout wins.
UFC 229 Results
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Conor McGregor via submission (neck crank) at 3:03 of Round 4 to remain UFC lightweight champion
Tony Ferguson def. Anthony Pettis via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
Dominick Reyes def. Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Derrick Lewis def. Alexander Volkov via KO (strike) at 4:49 of Round 3
Michelle Waterson def. Felice Herrig via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 30-27)
Jussier Formiga def. Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Vicente Luque def. Jalin Turner via KO (strike) at 3:52 of Round 1
Aspen Ladd def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (strikes) at 3:26 of Round 1
Scott Holtzman def. Alan Patrick via KO (elbow) at 3:42 of ROund 3
Yana Kunitskaya def. Lina Lansberg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nik Lentz def. Gray Maynard via TKO (head-kick/strikes) at 1:19 of Round 2
Tony Martin def. Ryan LaFlare via KO (head-kick) at 1:00 of Round 3