Conor McGregor seeks Nurmagomedov rematch after ugly scenes following his defeat

Conor McGregor has said he is ready to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov again despite violent scenes in Las Vegas after the Russian had defeated him.

Nurmagomedov has since expressed his regret at instigating the fight following his defeat of Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in Las Vegas.

The Russian lightweight champion disagreed with and condemned McGregor’s behaviour leading up to the fight, including the notorious bus attack in April that left several rival fighters injured.

He said: “First of all I want to say sorry to Nevada Athletic Commission and second to Vegas. I know this is not my best side. I’m a human being.

But I don’t understand how people can talk about how I jump on the cage. He talked about my religion, he talked about my country, he talked about my father.

“He came to Brooklyn and he broke a bus, he almost killed a couple of people. What about this s***? Why do people talk about me jumping over the cage? I don’t understand.

“This is a respectful sport, not a trash-talking sport. I want to change the game, you cannot talk about religion, about nationality.”

An event which was billed as the biggest in the UFC’s history ended in misery with UFC president Dana White appearing shocked and disappointed by what had happened.

He revealed that Nurmagomedov’s paycheck was being withheld by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and that three potential members of the fighter’s camp had been arrested.

White said that because McGregor did not want to take the matter further, the trio were later released.

He said: “The Nevada State Athletic Commission pulled the footage from us and there’s an investigation going on.

They are withholding Khabib’s purse but not Conor’s. They looked at the footage and felt there was no need to withhold Conor’s.

White refused to confirm whether Nurmagomedov would hold on to his 155lb crown and believes any sanctions handed down to the fighter by the NSAC could force his hand.

He added:

“It’s not 100% certain. We’re regulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They’re going to go after Khabib. The governor was here and he ran out of the building.

Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped from the octagon and attacked McGregor's training partner.

“The Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to hand out some type of fine, suspension or whatever. If he gets suspended, it depends how long his suspension is.”

Nurmagomedov was not presented with his belt and neither were there any interviews in the octagon, as is customary after a title fight.

White explained he did not want to incite crowd trouble as the reason for not allowing Nurmagomedov to celebrate in the octagon.

“I felt if we put the belt on him in the middle of the octagon, it was going to rain (with missiles),” White added.

I thought people would throw whatever they had into the octagon and I thought it would be a dangerous situation so I didn’t do it.

McGregor’s comeback was supposed to be a night of triumph for the UFC, which was expecting to set a new benchmark for pay-per-view figures, but this incident has cast a shadow on the sport.

Update - 8.50am: Nurmagomedov's team released as McGregor declines to press charges following post-fight brawl

Conor McGregor has declined to press charges against three members of Khabib Nurmagomedov's team after they attacked him following his defeat in Las Vegas.

The three men who were arrested have now been released.

Khabib Nurmagomedov apologised to the commission at a press conference this morning but said he does not understand why people are talking about his actions.

Conor Mcgregor had spoken about Nurmagomedov's religion and his father.

Earlier: Three members of Nurmagomedov's coaching team arrested following McGregor's comeback defeat

Three members of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coaching team have been arrested and taken to a Las Vegas Police Station after a brawl broke out following his win over Conor McGregor.

Nurmagomedov defeated the Notorious McGregor in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke midway through the fourth round after which he jumped over the Octagon and attacked the Irishman’s training partner, Dillon Danis.

With all eyes on the situation, members of Nurmagomedov’s entourage took advantage and made their way into the Octagon and attacked a stricken McGregor.

He sustained several blows to the face before police officers intervened.

After the fight, UFC President Dana White revealed that three members of Nurmagomedov’s team have “been taken to jail”.

Three of his guys have been arrested, I believe they're being taken to jail right now.

Dana White confirmed that Conor McGregor is "OK" after the attack following his defeat.

He aslo confirmed that Conor Mcgregor had been given his paycheck of $3m (€2,600,895) while Nurmagomedov’s pay of $2m (€1,733,930) had been withheld.

- Digital Desk