Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov: Time For Latin America And Channels To See The Star of UFC 229

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have faced each other on Saturday, October 6, which is one of the most important matches in the history of the UFC.

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have faced the previous Saturday in which it is one of the most important fights in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A meeting that took place at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas and that will gather thousands of spectators from around the world in front of the TV to see how the long dispute that has led both fighters to compete inside and outside the cage is resolved.

The atmosphere is heated . After the altercations of April 5, when former world lightweight champion Conor McGregor attacked a UFC bus in which he was among other fighters his rival Nurmagomedov in protest of the decision of the MMA league to snatch the title by inactivity , both have not ceased their provocations. In addition to the intimidating messages that were launched when the UFC announced the fight, at the press conference presentation tense moments were also experienced and just a few days ago the Russian marked McGregor as an alcoholic alluding to the images drinking whiskey that shares the also known as ‘The Notorius’ on their social networks to promote their own brand of this liquor.

Saturday’s battle is considered one of the most important in history:

But beyond the pre-combat show, McGregor and Khabib are expected to transfer their dispute to the octagon, turning it into a true exhibition of mixed martial arts , a discipline that has been gaining popularity in recent years and from which the UFC has become the main exponent.

But what exactly is this combat sport about?

The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA for its acronym in English) are the evolution of the Brazilian martial art vale tudo. It is a selection of a large number of techniques derived from different martial arts in which the most aggressive combat practices, both at the defensive and attack levels, take place and together form the most contact sport in the world.

Although in others the MMA matches are played in a ring, in the UFC the game space is known as an octagon. It is a cage with eight sides designed to prevent combatants from falling to the ground and to fight uninterruptedly both standing and on the ground.

The combats, in which two fighters participate , can be ended by knockout (KO), by submission , when the opponent surrenders after the other fighter gives him a key, or by scoring , that is, by the end of time settled down. In fact, according to the unified rules of the UFC that approved last 2017, it is established that when a championship is played each match must consist of five rounds that must not exceed five minutes and that must be separated by a period of at least one minute. Rest.

In each combat the score may vary. Of course, the three judges in charge of awarding the points to the fighters will have to score with a 10 to the winner of the assault and with 9 or less points to the loser taking into account the MMA techniques they have used, the effectiveness of their blows the ability to grip or control the area of ​​combat. In the cases of a tie, 10 points will be awarded to each of them.

Not everything is worth in MMA:

Although it seems that anything goes in this sport the truth is that the rules make very clear the prohibition of some practices that will be considered as a lack or that can even lead to disqualification. It involves hitting dangerous areas such as the nape of the neck, the spine or the genitals, as well as biting, sticking your fingers in the opponent’s eye, spitting, pulling the hair, putting your finger in the opponent’s mouth and pulling towards a side, hitting with the elbow down or kicking or trampling an opponent standing while standing on the ground.

Low blows, spitting, biting or kicking the opposing fighter are prohibited if thrown on the ground:

Why has this sport grown so fast?

The answer to this question is not simple. However, contact sports experts point to mixed martial arts as one of the fastest growing sports in the world in recent years linked to the support and promotion that has been carried out by the UFC since 1993 and the good acceptance of audiences as the United States, where according to some MMATorch experts, many specialized gyms are opening and at the regional level, more and more competitions are being created.

In addition, another one of the main pushes to the sport has given it the television . The broadcast of MMA matches every weekend through different television channels has been for this sport one of the main showcases to the world.Finally, others point to the world of betting as a factor contributing to the popularization of sports and social networks , whose channel has served to convert wrestlers into famous people who take advantage of this channel to build loyalty to their followers and create community around them . The impact that social media gives wrestlers is such that every post published by the lightweight champion Conor McGregor on his Instagram could reach more than 26 million followers , more than double the actor and shareholder of the UFC Mark Wahlberg, that in the same social network accumulates 10.7 million followers or that the singer Ricky Martin, whom 10.8 million people follow on Instagram.