Conor McGregor receives six-month suspension, fined $50,000 for role in UFC 229 brawl

Conor McGregor will be eligible for his return to the Octagon on April 6 having received a six-month suspension for his role on the UFC 229 post-fight fracas.

On Tuesday, five members of the National Athletic Commission voted in favor of a settlement agreement that will see McGregor fined $50,000 and receive a six-month suspension. McGregor’s suspension will be retroactive to Oct. 6, 2018, allowing him to compete again by Apr. 6.

After Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed a fourth-round finish of McGregor at T-Mobile Arena, the Russian exited the Octagon and attempted to leap on McGregor’s cornerman, Dillon Danis. McGregor attempted to exit the Octagon shortly after before members of Nurmagomedov’s team entered the Octagon. McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s teammates exchanged strikes before they were separated by security.

Chairman Anthony Marnell III highlighted that McGregor was defending himself during the altercation, but stressed that if the Irishman’s had not engaged with Nurmagomedov’s team, his case would not have been brought to the NAC.

Although McGregor’s pre-fight rhetoric was not relevant to Tuesday’s hearing, NAC executive director Bob Bennett highlighted that the commission needs to rein in some of the language used by fighters, describing some of the pre-fight trash talk as “unacceptable”.

“It’s gotten to the point with some of the unarmed combatants where it’s become totally unacceptable. There are not any other athletes, as far as I’m aware of, that have spoke at press conferences in the way that Mr. McGregor has. Although we have no precedence for it, I think it’s something that we should look to in the future and we should rein it in,” said Bennett at Tuesday’s hearing.

“[McGregor’s] press conference at the Radio City Music Hall was obviously under the jurisdiction of the New York Athletic Commission. The one that took place here…his language was a lot cleaner. I didn’t see any reason to add that to the settlement agreement, but I definitely think unequivocally that it’s something we need to take a more active role in and hold fighters accountable for their language.”

Neither Nurmagomedov nor McGregor were present at Tuesday’s meeting.