Khabib Nurmagomedov was suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for diving into the audience at UFC 229 in an attempt to attack Dillon Danis, but Nurmagomedov has maintained that he was justified in his actions after being provoked by Conor McGregor’s pre-fight trash talk. And at least one of his peers in the lightweight division agrees with him:
“What do you expect?” James Vick told MMA Fighting regarding Nurmagomedov snapping following the UFC 229 main event. “I mean, he talked about the dude’s family, his father. I mean, of course some people can’t just turn that off after the fight. So you’ve got to understand the individual you’re dealing with. Sometimes people are gonna do what they do and go crazy like that.”
In addition to believing Nurmagomedov’s actions were understandable, James Vick went a step further in stating that there should have been no major penalty for the lightweight champion:
“I mean, I don’t really think that he should get in major trouble for that,” Vick said. “I mean, no one got hurt. Let’s be realistic. They’re like, ‘Oh, well, this could have happened. Well, it didn’t, though. No one really got hurt and nothing came of it.”
Unfortunately for Nurmagomedov, James Vick is not a NSAC member so he had no say in the suspension that was ultimately handed down. He also had no say in the suspension of Nurmagomedov’s teammates, Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who were each dealt one-year suspensions. Nurmagomedov has stated that until his teammates are reinstated, he will sit out, even though his suspension will be up three months prior.
“I respect Khabib for sticking up for his boys like that,” Vick said of Khabib’s decision to sit out. “I 100% respect him.
Do you agree with James Vick? Was Khabib Nurmagomedov justified for his actions at UFC 229?
