On Friday, 3 August 2018, it was announced that Nurmagomedov would make his first defense of the UFC lightweight title against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 on 6 October in Las Vegas.
Fredag, den 3. august, 2018, blev det offentliggjort at Nurmagomedov skulle kæmpe sit første UFC-letvægt-titelforsvar mod Conor McGregor på UFC 229 den 6. oktober i Las Vegas.