Established 1961 25 Sports Wednesday, October 10, 2018 Nurmagomedov returns to hero’s welcome, blasts ‘dimwit’ McGregor ‘It took his unbeaten professional record to 27-0 and 11-0 in UFC bouts’ KASPIYSK: Russia’s Khabib Nurmagomedov said he Nurmagomedov’s entourage jumping into the octagon had “shut up that dimwit” Conor McGregor as he to attack McGregor as stunned officials battled to lapped up a hero’s welcome on his return to his native restore order. Dagestan following the successful defence of his UFC It proved a dramatic climax to weeks of media pos- lightweight crown against the Irishman. turing between the bitter rivals, during which the brash “Khabib! Khabib!” a crowd of some 20,000 fans Irishman stoked the flames through a series of insults chanted to welcome the unbeaten champion in an arena about Nurmagomedov’s family and his Muslim religion. in the town of Kaspiysk, 14 kilometres from Dagestan’s As security tried to quell the chaos in the crowd, the main city of Makhachkala. Excited by Nurmagomedov’s exhausted McGregor eventually departed in a huddle appearance, hundreds of his compatriots broke through of security personnel. Nurmagomedov was also hustled lines of stewards and pushed their way onto the pitch, out surrounded by security officers as the pro- trying to get as close as possible to the champion. McGregor crowd jeered and threw drinks at him. “Thank you, brothers,” replied Nurmagomedov, who UFC chief Dana White refused to hand showed off his champion’s belt to the crowd. On Nurmagomedov his belt, saying he feared it would fur- Saturday Nurmagomedov defended his Ultimate ther inflame the crowd. “If I put this belt on you, every- Fighting Championship world title after putting one’s going to start throwing shit into the Octagon,” he McGregor in a brutal chokehold and forcing the Irish told Nurmagomedov. superstar to ‘tap out’ during a fourth round submission. The ring announcer declared Nurmagomedov the It took his unbeaten professional record to 27-0 and winner after both fighters had departed. 11-0 in UFC bouts. “I’d prayed to the Almighty every Nurmagomedov told reporters that Russian President day not to have injuries, for it all happen,” Vladimir Putin had called to congratulate him. He also Nurmagomedov said. criticized McGregor for trash-talking, saying: “This is a “I wanted to shut up that dimwit up to prove the dif- respect sport.” LAS VEGAS: UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (L) of Russia holds his champions belt next to ference between our people and his people. “Nobody White said that the Nevada Athletic Commission, his father Abdulmanap (C) during a ceremony upon the arrival at the Anzhi-arena stadium in Makhachkala can break us, our people have a great history,” he which oversees combat sports in the state, was with- yesterday. —AFP boasted. “Hopefully, I’ve justified your expectations.” holding Nurmagomedov’s purse pending an investiga- Although eventually awarded his championship tion. “It’s a big deal,” White said, adding that three belt, the Russian is still awaiting confirmation of members of the Russian’s camp were briefly detained returning to mixed martial arts for the first time since dicting the bout would break the UFC record of 1.65 whether he will receive 1.5 million dollars prize money by police. November 2016, having detoured in 2017 to a cross- million pay-per-view buys. The crowd included a mass following a post-fight fracas that saw him jump over White said a suspension and “big money fines” combat boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather which of chanting, flag-waving Irish fans as well as a sprin- the octagon and attack one of McGregor’s training could be looming for Nurmagomedov, who might also ended in defeat-but still earned McGregor some kling of celebrities including Hollywood stars Matt partners, Dillon Danis. find himself facing difficulties obtaining a visa to fight $100 million. Damon and Mel Gibson and Northern Ireland golf star A dramatic free-for-all ensued, with members of in the United States in the future. McGregor was His return sparked massive interest, with White pre- Rory McIlroy. — AFP Sharma dreams of upset PGA Tour win Tokyo Games KUALA LUMPUR: India’s Shubhankar Sharma said he was hoping to upset the odds at this week’s CIMB Classic as he hunts the Asian merit crown along with savings at $4.3bn, his PGA Tour card. Sharma won February’s Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur and he returns to the says CEO Muto Malaysian capital on top of the Asian Tour prize money standings ahead of the dual-sanctioned event. It kicks off a swing of three big tournaments in Asia BUENOS AIRES: Several measures have cut for the 21-year-old, along with next week’s CJ Cup in the cost of staging the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by South Korea and the WGC-HSBC Champions in $4.3 billion but organisers are determined to Shanghai. “My immediate goal is to win the Asian Tour save more money in the next two years, Tokyo order of merit. But this stretch for me, no doubt, is very, Games CEO Toshiro Muto said on Monday. very important. Obviously all three events are big PGA Muto told the International Olympic Tour events. You have some of the best players in the Committee (IOC) efforts were being made to world playing,” said Sharma, who failed to secure his reduce the budget further through a series of ini- PGA Tour card last season. tiatives linked with the IOC’s Agenda 2020 and “It helps that the events are in Asia and I am so New Norm reform projects. much more comfortable in the conditions here. If I just The two IOC projects are aimed at dropping play well in these three events, have consistent finishes, the cost of the Olympics to make the Games an I feel like I’ll get off to a very good start towards secur- NEW TAIPEI: This handout photo taken and received by the Asian Tour on October 4, 2018 shows Shubhankar Sharma attractive prospect for potential host cities in the ing my PGA Tour card and it will obviously help my of India hitting a shot during round one of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship at the Linkou future. “We have been able to save another $2.1 world ranking. International Golf and Country Club in New Taipei City. — AFP billion,” Muto said, presenting a progress report “We have a really good chance here and if I play to the IOC session. “It has been $4.3 billion dol- well, in golf, anything is possible. I feel like I can win on lars in savings in total. a given day when I’m playing really well. I just want to Aphibarnrat is another top challenger from Asia, after just can’t explain how it feels, but it is such a good “(The IOC’s) Agenda 2020 and New Norm get back to the same level that I was at the start of the winning the 2013 Malaysian Open on the same TPC moment for me to play my first PGA Tour event as a (cost-reducing measures) will allow Tokyo 2020 year and then things will fall into place.” Kuala Lumpur course-and he now returns after earning member in Asia.” to suppress future budget increases,” Muto said. Two-time champion and former world number one a full PGA Tour card for the coming season. Sharma and Kiradech are bracketed in the same “We have reached the phase of detailed prepara- Justin Thomas, and fellow Ryder Cup player Paul Casey, “When I was a kid, my goal was to be a part of the flight for the first two rounds of the tournament, start- tions.” The Games budget spiralled dangerously headline the $7 million tournament along with defend- PGA Tour. It’s the biggest tour in the world,” the 29- ing Thursday, along with South Korea’s Korea’s Byeong out of control a few years after Japan was ing title-holder Pat Perez. Thailand’s Kiradech year-old said. “Twenty years later, I hold a Tour card. I Hun-an. —AFP awarded the event in 2013. The escalating costs meant other cities hoping to stage future Olympics were discouraged from eral roles in sports administration. doing so, leading to Rome, Hamburg and Afghan woman “You know very well that this is not very easy for Budapest pulling out of the race to host the 2024 many reasons in this country.” The two other women Olympics. “What we want to avoid is over-deliv- Goosen out for elected at the 133rd IOC meeting in the Argentinian capi- er and under-consume,” Olympic Games among nine new IOC tal were Daina Gudzineviciute, president of the Executive Director Christophe Dubi told two months, Lithuanian Olympic committee, and Felicite Rwemarika, reporters. members as Coe, first vice-president of the Rwandan Olympic committee. “We have another year and a half and we will Among other new members are Prince Jygyel Ugyen systematically look at solutions that do make Toulon recruit Wangchuck, president of the Bhutanese Olympic commit- sense from an experience and an economic Infantino miss out tee, Japan’s Morinari Watanabe, head of the International standpoint.” Gymnastics federation, and Brazilian Andrew Parsons, Alainu’uese BUENOS AIRES: Samira Asghari, a 24-year-old Afghan president of the International Paralympic Committee. WELCOME SAVINGS woman, was among nine new International Olympic Giovanni Malago, Camilo Perez Lopez Moreira and Tokyo’s overall budget, after several revisions, Committee members elected yesterday, but there was still MONTPELLIER: Montpellier’s South William Frederick Blick, respective presidents of the now stands at $12.6 billion, of which $5.6 billion no place for either IAAF president Sebastian Coe or FIFA Italian, Paraguyan and Ugandan Olympic committees, is the organising committee’s budget for staging African playmaker Johan Goosen will be out of head Gianni Infantino.