McGregor and Khabib Brawl Predicted on Joe Rogan’s MMA Show

Brendan Schaub, a former MMA fighter and current commentator, predicted the brawl that followed Conor McGregor’s defeat at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

Schaub made the prediction speaking to UFC color commentator and fellow MMA expert Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA Show #43 podcast.

“I would not go to this fight for this reason,” Schaub told Rogan on Oct. 3, “I think something’s going to happen in the crowd between the Russians and the Irish.”

Brendan Schaub attends the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28, 2018 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Rogan asked Schaub to elaborate, and the latter replied “Just the animosity between the two, they hate each other so bad.

“If it happens for Conor you’re going to have upset Russians if it happens for Khabib you’re going to have upset Irish. It’s gotten bigger than just a UFC fight, it’s so hostile.’’

Chaos erupted after Nurmagomedov jumped the octagon fence and pursued McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach, Dillon Danis, sparking a violent, all-in melee.

Fistfights also broke out between fans, which continued in the lobby of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6.

“This is absolutely the craziest moment I have seen in all my years calling fights,” declared UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.

File photo of commentator Joe Rogan (L) interviewing UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor during his weigh-in for UFC 202 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug. 19, 2016. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Schaub tweeted an emotional “I-told-you-so” after the incident.

“Sad. Straight up sad. I’m speechless. The biggest night in UFC history is damaged. I feel bad for Conor, Dana, UFC, and most of all for Khabib. He’s worked his entire life for this moment. One millisecond of emotion ruined it all. #UFC229”

“A lot of bad stuff that shouldn’t have happened,” White said of the brawl at a post-fight press conference on, according to Fox Sports. “Khabib jumped over the cage going after one of Conor’s guys, who I guess was talking trash to him, and all hell broke loose.”

Three members of Nurmagomedov’s entourage were arrested following the fight, but McGregor decided not to press charges.

The Irish fighter instead wrote on Twitter after the fight, “Good knock. Looking forward to the rematch.”

Nurmagomedov could be stripped of his UFC lightweight title, or even face suspension from the UFC.

“We’ll see,” UFC chief Dana White said during a post-fight press conference. “The NSAC is going to hand down some type of fine or suspension, we’ll see. I don’t know. If he gets suspended, it depends how long it is, but yeah, he will probably get stripped if it’s a long suspension.”

Nurmagomedov also issued a brief statement during the press conference.

“First of all, I want to say sorry to Nevada Athletic Commission and second to Vegas. I know this is not my best side. I’m a human being. But I don’t understand how people can talk about how I jump on the cage. He talked about my religion, he talked about my country, he talked about my father,” he said, without answering any questions before leaving.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (red-banded gloves) fights Conor McGregor during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Oct 6, 2018, Las Vegas. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Given McGregor’s tweet, however, and the continued animosity between the two fighters, the ground appears set for a lucrative rematch.

The fight had been highlighted by bad blood between both camps, with McGregor pleading guilty in July as part of a deal with prosecutors to resolve charges over an April melee in which he attacked a bus the Russian was traveling on.