Many consider the fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov as the turning point in both men's careers. Some mark McGregor's loss to Nurmagomedov as the beginning of his downfall and others think Nurmagomedov's win and the post-fight brawl afterward as the star of his climb to superstardom.
No matter what you think of the day, if you were an MMA fan on Oct. 6, 2018, you remember the moment. Now, five years later, fans are coming together on social media to reflect on UFC 229.
#OnThisDay in 2018: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor FINALLY met in the Octagon...
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 6, 2023
📺 Relive it all on @UFCFightPass now! pic.twitter.com/KWh9g7EYgO
Most fans were pro Nurmagomedov on Twitter.
#OnThisDay 5 years ago, Khabib Nurmagomedov destroyed Conor McGregor and claimed his spirit and soul! pic.twitter.com/6DglKwUXlQ
— AlAudhli العوذلي (@AAudhli) October 6, 2023
6 October, 2018 this was a great day in MMA history
— Limón (@LimonNarco) October 6, 2023
Khabib Nurmagomedov changed MMA forever when he destroyed Conor McGregor in front of the entire world
#UFC229 @TeamKhabib smesh Conor McGregor pic.twitter.com/GGMIutjSbZ
— Gato_MMA (@Gato_MMA) October 6, 2023
IL Y A 5 ANS AUJOURD’HUI 🔙
— MMA TIME (@MMA__TIME) October 6, 2023
On vivait l’un des moment les plus fous du sport 🤯
Cette après combat entre Conor Mcgregor et Khabib Nurmagomedov restera dans l’histoire pic.twitter.com/cRFlQBJunK
5 years ago today Khabib did what he said he’s gonna do
— BORZ DRIPMAEV (@big38gohawkem) October 6, 2023
smashed Conor McGregor for 4 rounds and then made him quit in the biggest MMA fight of all time
The aftermath of this fight is still felt today as Khabib continues to live in the head of all MMA fans pic.twitter.com/Je4t0tCw7s
On this day 5 years ago. Khabib Nurmagomedov destroyed Conor McGregor in the biggest fight in MMA and UFC history. pic.twitter.com/xsnOHvrv8N
— Amanat (@aymcfc_) October 6, 2023
October 6, 2018. UFC 229. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor.
— عمر عثمان 🇦🇫 Mike Tyson’s Translator (@OmerOsman200) October 6, 2023
Millions of people around the world tuned in as Khabib put Dagestan and Muslim fighters on the map, and completely outclassed Conor, inside and outside the Octagon.
Will we ever witness something of this calibre… pic.twitter.com/MMWyENsS0M
But of course, there are still McGregor fans and they chimed in as well.
Unpopular Opinion:
— Notorious (@Notori6us) October 6, 2023
Conor McGregor would’ve beaten Khabib in a rematch. Sadly we’ll never know because Khabib ran away. pic.twitter.com/O8tHvEvqB8
Dana White reacted to UFC 229 brawl: 'I’m disgusted and sick over it'
After their fight, and the brawl that followed, UFC president Dana White called out all parties for their actions.
“I’m disgusted and sick over it," White told the media at the time. “Nobody saw Khabib diving over there. You know he scaled that thing like he was a parkour guy. It happened so fast. The police did what they could do and the security did a great job of containing it.”
Nurmagomedov would go on to defend the lightweight title two more times after beating McGregor. He retired and relenquished the title after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
McGregor has only won one of his three fights after Nurmagomedov, and has taken considerable times off as well. He's expected to return to the Octagon in 2024 and announced that he'd finally submitted the paperwork to re-enter the USADA testing pool.
Nothing like this moment has ever happened since and a feud like McGregor's and Nurmagomedov's may never officially be over.