Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA. So much so that the fight between Khabib and McGregor was the highest selling PPV fight in MMA history at the time. Even after the fight inside the octagon ended, a brawl broke out when Khabib jumped out of the cage on to to McGregor’s team. Due to such animosity one thing is clear that there can never be peace between the two former UFC lightweight champions. This was evident when the Dagestani fighter spoke about the Irishman’s recent results and potential return to the octagon.
One of UFC and MMA’s biggest star Conor McGregor has had tumultuous past couple of years. Not only the Irishman has won a single fight since his victory against Donald Cerrone but he has suffered a horrible leg injury in his last fight against Dustin Poirier. However, despite of facing so many setbacks, McGregor is paving his way back inside the octagon.
Currently ‘The Notorious’ is shooting for the TUF season 31 coaching against Michael Chandler. There were talks of McGregor returning to the octagon in 2023 against Michael Chandler. However, he has not yet entered the USADA testing pool and needs to be in the pool for at least six before a fight. His arch nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov gave his 2 cents about McGregor’s return.
Khabib Nurmagomedov doubts if Conor McGregor will return
Khabib Nurmagomedov does not many interviews. However, in one of his rare interview he gave his thoughts about whether Conor McGregor has the same hunger in him to make a UFC comeback. He thinks that not many fighters can comeback after such a injury and that there is a lack of Hunger in McGregor. This interview got clipped and went viral on social media.
Khabib said, “Okay, if we talk about Conor McGregor, last couple of years he [Conor McGregor] is not hungry. And now what happened with his legs, like never people come back and never be people on the same prime twice. Prime come only one time. You’re gonna be Prime, after that you’re gonna go down.“
Nurmagomedov was working as a coach for Islam Makhachev. Thus, he was still in the MMA realm despite his retirement and knows the current fighters of the lightweight division quite well as he has had to prepare Islam against them. So, his opinion about McGregor holds some weight in terms of relevance. Moreover, he also knows the mindset of Conor McGregor having already fought and defeated him at his peak. However, he did not agree for a rematch against the Irishman and retired before they could fight once again,
Nurmagomedov is ‘happy’ about retirement
Many fans and experts were left disappointed when Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement. This was because it did not feel smooth or organic. The announcement came quite sudden and broke the hearts of his fans. However, it was a decision he made logically. It wasn’t an emotional decision which he was second guessing later on. The Dagestani spoke about how he feels after his retirement.
Khabib said, “To make weight, I had to stay on a diet all my life. Being a religious person, we have to stay away from a lot of things. When food comes on the table, sometimes you want to enjoy it. I have to train every day for five hours to get back to 86 kilo, or I can live a happy life. I’m going to be happy and drink Pepsi.“
It is no secret that Nurmagomedov loves Pepsi and ‘burgir’. After his fight against Justin Gaethje he decided to retire. One of the major reason behind his decision was the untimely death of this father, who was not only his coach but also his pillar of support. Thus, after his retirement Nurmagomedov is enjoying his time away, focusing on family, business, Pepsi and ‘burgir’.
