Conor McGregor UFC 'suspension': What it actually means after Khabib Nurmagomedov fight and brawl

McGregor's 'suspension's is nothing more than MMA protocol.
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Tony Mogan9 October 2018

Conor McGregor will serve a routine 30-day medical suspension in the aftermath of his UFC 229 defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor was submitted in the fourth round of his lightweight title clash on Saturday – his second professional defeat inside the Octagon.

‘Suspension’ has become a particularly loaded phrase in the aftermath of the carnage that followed the main event in Las Vegas, but in this case, it is simply MMA protocol.

Medical suspensions are routinely handed out to fighters to allow them to sufficiently recover from injuries suffered inside the Octagon and are in no way a punishment. In McGregor’s case, he will not be allowed to fight until 6 November with no contact training permitted until 28 October.

Regardless, the prospect of someone like McGregor fighting again so soon – be it after a win of a defeat – is a near impossibility. En route to becoming one of UFC’s major attractions, the Irishman typically took a minimum of three months between each fight.

In fact, McGregor’s medical suspension handed down after Saturday’s fight is shorter than the one he received following his August 2016 fight against Nate Diaz – a fight the Dubliner won.

McGregor claimed a five-round victory that night in his bloody rematch with Diaz, but foot and ankle injuries suffered meant he was made to serve a minimum two-month fight suspension.

Medical suspensions can even be voided providing a fighter receives clearance from their doctor.

His latest suspension has nothing to do with the chaos that followed his defeat to Nurmagomedov with officials still to determine what, if any, action will be taken against the two fighters.

McGregor’s suspension comes from the Nevada State Athletic Commission with Anthony Pettis, Dominick Reyes, Jalin Turner, Scott Holtzman and Alan Patrick Silva Alves also facing time away from the Octagon after a particularly bruising card at the weekend.

Pettis, who suffered a TKO defeat to Tony Ferguson, is facing six months out.

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