When Khabib leaped into the audience during the UFC 229 post-fight brawl, famed Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio nearly made an unwanted cameo appearance as this article published on this day three years ago details.
The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 5, 2019, 12:31 PM]
Title: Khabib Nurmagomedov Nearly Landed on Leonardo DiCaprio During UFC 229 Brawl
Author: Damon Martin
Khabib Nurmagomedov may have been aiming at Dillon Danis during the UFC 229 post-fight brawl but he nearly gave Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio flashbacks of the time a bear mauled him in the film ‘The Revenant’.
The entire situation unraveled just seconds after Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor this past October by fourth-round rear-naked choke.
Almost immediately after Nurmagomedov secured the victory, he leaped over the cage and went after McGregor’s teammate who was working his corner that night. The moment the undefeated UFC champion made his way over the cage, a huge melee broke out in the crowd.
It turns out when Nurmagomedov made that jump, he nearly landed on the Oscar winner, who was sitting cage side at the time for the fights.
"Honestly, I didn't recognize them, apart from Leonardo DiCaprio,” Nurmagomedov said about the celebrities sitting in the first row when he jumped out of the Octagon when speaking to MatchTV in Russia. “He is a big fan of martial arts. He told me, 'I was sitting five meters away, you nearly landed on me!' It was interesting for me how he would sit there [amid so many people].
“He's a regular guy, but it was surprising to me, when people came up to him for a photo, he said 'I don't take photos.' I asked why, and he said it's not possible to make everyone happy. He said he only takes photos with kids. With everyone else, it's not possible. That surprised me, but in general, he's a regular guy."
Nurmagomedov found out about nearly falling on DiCaprio when he met the actor in Paris a few months ago — and he did manage to get a photo taken with him.
As for the repercussions from that post-fight brawl, Nurmagomedov was just recently sentenced to a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as well as fined $500,000 for his actions.
Nurmagomedov could have his suspension reduced by three months if he completes an approved anti-bullying message for the state of Nevada but as of now, the reigning UFC lightweight champion has said he has no plans to record that public service announcement and will instead serve his full nine-month suspension.