It seems like Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t the only one voicing his displeasure over the harsh NSAC ruling. Dana White also came forward against the NSAC. He believes the commission went a bit heavy-handed for Nurmagomedov’s involvement in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.
A five-member committee handed the Dagestani lightweight champion a nine-month suspension and half-million dollar punishment for his part in the 2018 brawl, following UFC 229’s main event. There could be a reduction in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s suspension if he participates in an anti-bullying public service announcement for the commission.
The first one to speak for Nurmagomedov in the MMA circles, Dana White called his settlement as “harsh”.
“I was obviously surprised how much they put on Khabib. It was a half-million dollars and six months if he does some PSAs. They had the whole thing contained in seconds. It was a little harsh in my opinion. It is what it is.”
The NSAC urged that proper policing for the language used by fighters prior to their fights. Trash talk has a strong history in MMA and combat sports in general. As such, White does not believe trash talk should be policed.
He added,
“It’s a fight. At the end of the day, it’s a fight. Sometimes you come across people that don’t like each other and there’s a lot of bad blood. That was in the case in this fight. That’s what we do it’s the fight business. These guys are talking about fighters saying mean things to each other and all this other stuff. If you break it down and you go back to when Ali fought Frazier, and you look at the times when it happened, the stuff he said about Frazier and to Frazier was horrible. Horrible things you didn’t say to somebody else back then.”
Dana White also commented on the resolution of Jon Jones’ drug-test saga. Jones will compete on March 2 against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 after the NSAC granted him a single match license. Jones will be drug-tested twice a month until UFC 235 as part of the deal. He must also abide by similar testing schedule throughout all of the 2019 for a license to fight in Nevada.
He further added,
“I’m rooting for the guy. I hope he does it. He’s one of the best ever maybe the greatest ever. Hopefully, he’ll keep his personal life together and pass these tests and continue to cement his legacy in the sport.”
