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Conor McGregor says Khabib Nurmagomedov beat him 'fair and square'
McGregor tapped out to the undefeated Russian in their lightweight title bout
He broke his silence about the fight with a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday
The Irishman admitted to underestimating Khabib but vowed not to do it again

Published: 01:19 EDT, 23 October 2018 | Updated: 01:19 EDT, 23 October 2018

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Conor McGregor admitted he was 'beaten fair and square' by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 but stressed he would not repeat his mistakes in any rematch.

McGregor tapped out to the undefeated Russian in the fourth round of their lightweight title bout in Las Vegas on October 6 as he made his return to mixed martial arts after a near two-year hiatus.

The fight was followed by a mass brawl that led to both men receiving temporary suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Conor McGregor has admitted he was 'beaten fair and square' by Khabib Nurmagomedov

View this post on Instagram

Thoughts on my last fight. Round 1. I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position. From a fight standpoint the first round is mine. Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round. Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight. It was a nice shot. After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played. If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now. I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever. Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won’t happen again. I also gave my attacking grappling no respect. To defense minded. Lessons. Listen to nobody but yourself on your skill set. You are the master of your own universe. I am the master of this. I must take my own advice. Round 3. After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage. Round 4. My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault. Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square. What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure. I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared. If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all ❤

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Oct 22, 2018 at 9:11pm PDT

McGregor, who has spoken of his desire for a rematch in social media posts since the event, broke his silence about the fight itself with a lengthy Instagram post in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Irishman did not mention the post-fight melee, but instead broke down the bout round-by-round.

In the message, McGregor wrote: 'Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position.

'Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square.

'What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure.

'I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared.

'If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line.'

McGregor tapped out to the undefeated Russian in round four of their lightweight title bout

The Irishman admitted he had underestimated his opponent but it would not happen again

The 30-year-old admitted he had underestimated parts of Nurmagomedov's fighting style and said it would not happen again.

McGregor said: 'Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight. It was a nice shot.

'I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever.

Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won't happen again.'

McGregor went on to say the second round was 'the worst round of my fighting career' but felt he had come back strongly by winning the third.