UFC 229

UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.

This event was the most-bought UFC pay-per-view of all time with a buyrate of 2.4 million.

Background

The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the undefeated current UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor. McGregor captured the lightweight title at UFC 205, when he was the reigning featherweight champion. McGregor never defended the title, he took some time off in 2017 due to the birth of his firstborn and later venturing himself in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. The UFC originally planned an interim title bout between Nurmagomedov and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos welterweight winner Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, but it was canceled due to Khabib having medical issues related to his weight cut on weigh-in day. Ferguson eventually won the interim title at UFC 216 against Kevin Lee. Ferguson was then expected to meet Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, with the winner being crowned the undisputed champion (as McGregor would be stripped of the title as soon as the bout took place). In turn, it was scrapped once again (fourth time) as Ferguson got injured, and after several possibilities for an opponent, Nurmagomedov eventually won the vacant title against Al Iaquinta. The event was preceded by a widely publicized incident in which McGregor threw a dolly at a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other fighters, injuring two. He was arrested and charged, but the UFC did not formally discipline him. Footage of the incident was later used in official promotion, sparking controversy, though UFC President Dana White defended its inclusion.