A. Lobov is the Irishman's 'faithful squire'. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @rushammer
The rivalry between Conor McGregor e Khabib Nurmagomedov reached its peak during the widespread brawl following the main fight of UFC 229. However, few know the origin of the feud between the fighters. In an interview with the North American channel ESPN, 'Notorious' training partner Artem Lobov stated that the conflict began in an interview in 2016, when the Russian referred to the Irishman with the word 'chicken'.
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“It may not seem very serious to you, but just so you know, 'chicken' is one of the biggest insults you can say to a man in Russia. In fact, if you call someone a 'chicken' in Russia it means that the person is raped in prison – in a men's prison. This is what “chicken” means in Russia. And Khabib knows it, and everyone knows it. It’s a very, very serious insult,” Lobov explained.
On the eve of UFC 223, Lobov and Khabib met in the hotel hallway, where they were preparing for an interview. Taking advantage of the moment, Artem questioned Nurmagomedov why he had called Conor a 'chicken'.
“I said, 'Look, you called my brother a 'chicken.' How could I not respond to you? If someone called your brother a 'chicken', you probably would have responded in kind. And he kept saying, 'It's none of your business. Why did you call me that? Again and again. And I explained to him, 'Look, I didn't say that directly to you. I said this in response to you calling him a 'chicken'. And that was it. That’s how it all happened,” said Artem.
In response, McGregor took his plane and went to the city to confront Khabib. With that, Conor invaded the Media Day at the Barclays Center arena and attacked the bus carrying the athletes in search of their rival.
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