C. McGregor (left) was defeated by K. Nurmagomedov (right) at UFC 229. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Willing to regain his status as a challenger for the lightweight belt (up to 70,3kg.), Conor McGregor appears to have resumed his former provocative stance. Close to the confrontation against Dustin poirier, which takes place this Saturday (10), at UFC 264, the Irishman turned his attention to the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov, his biggest rival in MMA. In an interview with 'ESPN', the 'Notorious' poked at the Russian legend, who left the sport in 2020.
See too
“Where did he go? Where is him now? He ran away, it's over. He made fun of the fans, he didn’t do anything for the sport,” said Conor.
Khabib's opponent in 2018, in the most watched fight in the history of mixed martial arts, McGregor went further. For the Irishman, the former champion's success must be attributed solely to the qualities of the athlete's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who died last season, a victim of complications from Covid-19.
“It was his father's show and he was facing guys with something like two wins and eight losses. That was his record until he reached 20 wins and zero losses. He had three UFC fights before that. Then, he did well, but there was nothing before. These are irrelevant things, he couldn't make the weight. That's it and now he's gone”, concluded 'Notório'.
Former leader of the under-70,3kg group, Nurmagomedov left the sport after crashing Justin gaethje and unify the category title. After the triumph, still in the octagon, the Russian confirmed his retirement, leaving the sport undefeated, with 29 consecutive victories.
Submitted by Khabib at UFC 229, McGregor returns to the octagon for his second appearance in 2021. In January, the Irishman ended up beaten by Dustin poirier and now, it seeks to recover, putting an end to a trilogy that began in 2014.
Comments