Islam Makhachev surprises by revealing his feelings after Conor McGregor's injury at UFC 329.

Conor McGregor after his fight with Max Holloway . Photo: Instagram

PUBLICITY:

Not all rivalry prevents respect. Even being a teammate and one of Khabib Nurmagomedov 's main allies , Islam Makhachev surprised everyone by showing empathy for Conor McGregor after the Irishman's frustrating return at UFC 329 , held on July 11th of this year in Las Vegas, against Max Holloway.

Khabib's partner since the beginning of his career, Makhachev was involved in the brawl after his friend's victory over McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018. Despite the historic rivalry between the two groups, the lightweight (up to 70,3kg) and welterweight (up to 77,1kg) champion stated that he felt sorry for the outcome of the fight with the Hawaiian and revealed that he would have liked to see 'The Notorious' compete again after more than five years away from the octagon.

See too

Watch out, Dana White! Jake Paul buys PFL and starts a new era in MMA; find out why.

This will shock the world! Charles Oliveira's coach is betting on a knockout by Ian Garry against Islam Makhachev at UFC.

Jon Jones comments on former rival's arrest and puts his faith in him for a turnaround.

“Honestly, I feel bad. I wanted to see how he would fight after 5 years… honestly, I feel bad,” said Islam Makhachev in an interview with the clothing brand Complex.

The statement drew attention precisely because it came from one of Khabib Nurmagomedov 's main allies , the protagonist of one of the greatest rivalries in the organization's history with Conor McGregor . Instead of provoking his former rival, Makhachev preferred to acknowledge that he hoped to see the Irishman compete at a high level again.

'The Notorious' returned at UFC 329 to face Max Holloway in the main event, but suffered a serious knee injury in the opening moments of the fight. Unable to continue, McGregor was ultimately defeated by technical knockout, ending in a frustrating way a return that was eagerly awaited by MMA fans.

Remember Khabib vs. Conor?

Khabib celebrates his UFC victory with his father. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

PUBLICITY:

The clash between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov took place in October 2018, in the main event of UFC 229, and went down in history as one of the most memorable events ever promoted by the organization. The rivalry went beyond the limits of the sport after months of provocations, personal attacks, and the famous incident involving the Russian's bus, attacked by 'Notorious' months before the fight.

When the octagon door closed, however, Khabib's dominance was absolute. Superior in wrestling, the then-champion took down the Irishman on several occasions, even staggering him with a knockdown, and in the fourth round he locked in a rear-naked choke that forced McGregor to tap out, authoritatively defending his lightweight title.

The tension, however, did not end with the fight. Immediately after his victory, the Russian jumped the octagon fence to confront members of the Irishman's team, triggering a general brawl that took over the arena and resulted in punishments for both sides. Undefeated, the Russian ended his career with a perfect record of 29 wins in 29 fights, while Conor never got the rematch he had been demanding for years.

Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.