Why this photo of Khabib has caused a stir

Khabib Nurmagomedov may have announced himself to the world after his crazy post-fight antics against Conor McGregor but you wouldn’t know it judging by his surprise departure from Las Vegas.

The Russian’s now infamous moment of madness after beating the trash-talking Irishman at UFC 229 made news around the world, with the 30-year-old likely to face heavy sanctions for his actions.

Bizarrely though – despite his face being plastered across news outlets around the world – hardly anyone seemed to notice the UFC’s lightweight champion when left Las Vegas airport barely 24 hours after the fight.

Dressed in his trademark hoodie and donning a UFC backpack, Khabib managed to slip through the crowds at the airport relatively unnoticed.

In fact, ESPN journalist Arash Markazi – snapped in a photograph with the fighter – claims he was one of the very few to even batter an eyelid at the UFC superstar.

“No one bothered him,” Markazi said.

“Nurmagomedov was less than 24 hours removed from winning arguably the biggest fight in UFC history, but he walked through the airport unnoticed despite an outfit that screamed, ‘Hey, I’m a UFC fighter!’

“He almost seemed surprised when someone asked for his picture near his gate before he returned to being an inconspicuous traveller waiting for his flight to board.”

Fresh footage sheds new light on Khabib-McGregor chaos

New vision has emerged of the nasty incident that enraged Khabib Nurmagomedov, sparking his crazy rampage after beating Conor McGregor.

In shocking scenes at UFC 229, Khabib launched himself out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis in the front row of the crowd.

On Tuesday, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh said he didn’t hear Danis say anything that would have provoked Khabib.

However new video has emerged of the moment Khabib erupted, showing an incident between Danis and a member of Khabib’s crew seconds after the fight ended.

As you can see in the video at the top of the page, Khabib’s ‘Dominance MMA’ managing partner Rizvan Magomedov walks up behind Danis and mockingly pats him on the back.

Danis takes exception to the act and shoves Magomedov, which Khabib saw and immediately went berserk.

The Russian fighter attacked Danis, while two other members of his team jumped into the Octagon and went after McGregor.

TMZ reported on Tuesday that Danis had called Khabib a ‘f***ing Muslim rat’ in between the second and third rounds of the fight.

However McGregor’s coach denied those claims.

“I was standing beside Dillon. I didn’t see what he did but I could hear. He didn’t say anything,” Kavanagh said on the Joe Rogan Experience.

“When I watched it back I could see him beckon (Nurmagomedov) on,” Kavanagh continued.

“It’s just stupid end of fight stuff. But it didn’t justify that level of response.”

Khabib takes cheeky dig at UFC boss

Nurmagomedov is facing a possible fine, lengthy suspension and the possibility of having his $2 million pay check withheld – but he’s maintained his sense of humour through it all.

The UFC lightweight champion took to to Instagram on Tuesday to poke fun at UFC president Dana White, posing for a photo on White’s car bonnet.

“Dana white you lucky that you give me my belt, or I would smash your car,” Khabib wrote.

“I know your parking location.”

The humorous jab was aimed at White over what repercussions White would have faced had he stripped Nurmagomedov of his belt after Saturday’s post-fight brawl.

White’s BMW can probably rest easy, as White told TMZ on Monday that Nurmagomedov would “absolutely” not be stripped of his title, though he could be receiving a six-figure fine sometime soon.

If that’s the only punishment Nurmagomedov receives, well, some will find it far too lenient and others might think it’s too harsh for a fighter who triggered absolute chaos in the aftermath of UFC 229 by climbing out of the Octagon and attempting to fight a member of Conor McGregor’s entourage.

Members of Nurmagomedov’s crew were also arrested for attacking McGregor in the Octagon.

Lucky for Nurmagomedov, White could see the funny side of the sly dig, commenting on Khabib’s photo with a hilarious response of his own:

“LMFAO!!! I’m telling your father,” White responded.

You’d think going after White’s car would add more punishment for Nurmagomedov after that, but then again, smashing a motorised vehicle controlled by White has never really led to serious repercussions from the UFC – just ask Conor McGregor.

With agencies