Zubaira Tukhugov, Fighter Who Attacked Conor McGregor At UFC 229, Reportedly Cut From The UFC

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It appears that Zubaira Tukhugov, the fighter who attacked Conor McGregor inside the Octagon at UFC 229, may have been released from the promotion.
On Tuesday, the UFC Roster Watch bot account on Twitter noted that Tukhugov, a teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, has been removed from the fan rankings pool.
While this can allude to a fighter choosing to take a prolonged period away from the cage, as was the case with women’s flyweight Joanne Wood, more often than not it points to an athlete departing the MMA leader.

? Fighter removed: Zubaira Tukhugov— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) February 28, 2023

Should Tukhugov’s release be confirmed, his exit from the UFC will come after an underwhelming run inside the Octagon that was plagued with issues on the scale.
Prior to his split decision loss to Hakeem Dawodu in 2020, the Dagestani missed the featherweight limit by a mammoth four pounds. While he successfully made weight and defeated Ricardo Ramos in his subsequent appearance, Tukhugov proved the featherweight cut to be too much last October, when his bout with Lucas Almeida was scrapped owing to weight management issues.
And despite moving up to lightweight last month at UFC 284, Tukhugov again found himself with a depleted purse after missing the limit by 1.5 pounds. That, coupled with his widely debated loss to Elves Brenner, appears to have sealed his fate.
But while Tukhugov hasn’t provided a particularly memorable Octagon tenure with his performances, he will be remembered for one notable incident.
Tukhugov Gained Notoriety Through McGregor Clash
At UFC 229, months of trash talk, back and forth, and controversial remarks directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov boiled over into a wild post-fight brawl.
After submitting arch-rival Conor McGregor, an emotional Khabib vaulted the fence wall and attacked the Irishman’s jiu-jitsu coach, Dillon Danis. Soon after, the carnage spilled over into the cage as well.
After Khabib had leapt at Danis and McGregor exchanged strikes with Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Tukhugov made his way into the Octagon. Having climbed into the cage next to an evidently oblivious security guard, the Russian set his sights on the “Notorious” former champ-champ before squaring up.
Tukhugov was the first of Khabib’s team to enter the cage with the sole intention of laying hands on McGregor. But although Tukhugov appeared to land his punch, McGregor seemed to achieve more impact with a left hand, with the strike sending Khabib’s teammate back and even forcing a slight wobble.
In the aftermath, Tukhugov was suspended for one year and fined $25,000 for his role in the 2018 brawl.

UFC fighter Zubaira Tukhugov is bragging on social media about attacking Conor McGregor at #UFC229: “I slapped him as promised. I promised to make him answer for his words and I did." pic.twitter.com/Iy2QYlUmEt— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) October 7, 2018

What are your thoughts on Zubaira Tukhugov’s reported UFC release?

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It appears that Zubaira Tukhugov, the fighter who attacked Conor McGregor inside the Octagon at UFC 229, may have been released from the promotion.


On Tuesday, the UFC Roster Watch bot account on Twitter noted that Tukhugov, a teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, has been removed from the fan rankings pool.


While this can allude to a fighter choosing to take a prolonged period away from the cage, as was the case with women’s flyweight Joanne Wood, more often than not it points to an athlete departing the MMA leader.



? Fighter removed: Zubaira Tukhugov

— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) February 28, 2023[/quote]

Should Tukhugov’s release be confirmed, his exit from the UFC will come after an underwhelming run inside the Octagon that was plagued with issues on the scale.


Prior to his split decision loss to Hakeem Dawodu in 2020, the Dagestani missed the featherweight limit by a mammoth four pounds. While he successfully made weight and defeated Ricardo Ramos in his subsequent appearance, Tukhugov proved the featherweight cut to be too much last October, when his bout with Lucas Almeida was scrapped owing to weight management issues.


And despite moving up to lightweight last month at UFC 284, Tukhugov again found himself with a depleted purse after missing the limit by 1.5 pounds. That, coupled with his widely debated loss to Elves Brenner, appears to have sealed his fate.


But while Tukhugov hasn’t provided a particularly memorable Octagon tenure with his performances, he will be remembered for one notable incident.


Tukhugov Gained Notoriety Through McGregor Clash
At UFC 229, months of trash talk, back and forth, and controversial remarks directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov boiled over into a wild post-fight brawl.


After submitting arch-rival Conor McGregor, an emotional Khabib vaulted the fence wall and attacked the Irishman’s jiu-jitsu coach, Dillon Danis. Soon after, the carnage spilled over into the cage as well.


After Khabib had leapt at Danis and McGregor exchanged strikes with Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Tukhugov made his way into the Octagon. Having climbed into the cage next to an evidently oblivious security guard, the Russian set his sights on the “Notorious” former champ-champ before squaring up.


Tukhugov was the first of Khabib’s team to enter the cage with the sole intention of laying hands on McGregor. But although Tukhugov appeared to land his punch, McGregor seemed to achieve more impact with a left hand, with the strike sending Khabib’s teammate back and even forcing a slight wobble.


In the aftermath, Tukhugov was suspended for one year and fined $25,000 for his role in the 2018 brawl.



UFC fighter Zubaira Tukhugov is bragging on social media about attacking Conor McGregor at #UFC229: “I slapped him as promised. I promised to make him answer for his words and I did." pic.twitter.com/Iy2QYlUmEt

— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) October 7, 2018[/quote]

What are your thoughts on Zubaira Tukhugov’s reported UFC release?




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