It's official - Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is on.
Infamous for his 11th-hour withdrawals, the Russian allayed fears that he might leave fight fans hanging, as both fighters came in comfortably on weight for their blockbuster lightweight title fight at UFC 229 in Las Vegas on Sunday (NZ time).
Nurmagomedov has been forced to pull out of two fights in the last three years, due to late injury complications stemming from weight cuts, but he looked comfortable, as he came in right on 155lbs (70.3kgs).
A raucous crowd, dressed mostly in green, packed out the T-Mobile Arena to welcome the fighters to the ceremonial weigh-in, erupting as McGregor (aka ‘The Notorious’) took to the scales and unleashed his trademark roar.
The two then struck a heated face-off, as nervous UFC president Dana White attempted - in vain - to keep them apart.
McGregor slapped the Russian's hands down and threw out a straight kick, as tensions threatened to boil over.
"Don't let that smelly rat put that hat on your head," McGregor told host Joe Rogan, referring to Nurmagomedov's distinctive ‘papkha’ hat from his native Dagestan province.
"The smell of that f**king thing.
"UFC fans, it's good to be f**king back. The king is home."
Predictably, Nurmagomedov (‘The Eagle’) was a touch more understated, but left no doubts over his intentions.
"Tomorrow night, I'm going to smash your boy, guys," he said to the jeering Irish faithful.
"I want to say thank you to all the Irish fans around the world. Because of you guys, this fight is happening."
The fight is one of the most eagerly anticipated in the history of the promotion, after McGregor broke a window in a frenzied attack on a bus carrying Nurmagomedov almost six months ago.
Join us at from noon Sunday for live updates of the McGregor vs Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
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