Remember when 50 Cent stepped into the MMA scene and made waves? After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s infamous brawl with Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018, the rapper was quick to call out the UFC for what he saw as unfair treatment of the Dagestani fighter.
Feeling that Khabib deserved better, 50 Cent didn’t just voice his support—he put his money where his mouth was, offering Khabib a whopping $2 million to fight for Bellator instead.
It was a bold move that highlighted the rapper’s disdain for how things were handled and showcased his willingness to shake things up in the fight world. Unfortunately, this partnership did not materialize. The 49-year-old tweeted after the event saying,
“I think it’s wrong what the UFC is doing to Khabib, they didn’t do the same thing to McGregor. I’ll pay 2 million cash tonight if he will fight for me at Bellator.”
I️ think it’s wrong what the UFC is doing to Khabib, they didn’t do the same thing to McGregor. I’ll pay 2 million cash tonight if he will fight for me at Bellator. pic.twitter.com/K7QYxR4IHI
— 50cent (@50cent) October 13, 2018
For context, after his win over McGregor in the fourth round at UFC 229, ‘The Eagle’ jumped over the fence and charged towards Dillon Danis. This resulted in an all-out brawl between the two camps which forced the security in the stadium to jump in and calm the situation down.
In the aftermath of this, White refused to wrap the belt around Khabib in the octagon claiming that the crowd would go insane. Naturally, ‘The Eagle’ did not like this one bit and protested the decision but ultimately, it was the UFC president who prevailed.
This is what 50 cent was unfair treatment towards ‘The Eagle’. Six years on from the event, ‘The Eagle’ shared his thoughts on what transpired on the night and why he took the actions that he did.
Khabib states he ‘wanted to bite someone’s heart’
Khabib was always cool and calculating inside the Octagon, but his rivalry with McGregor at UFC 229 brought out a whole new level of intensity. Leading up to the fight, Khabib was seething over McGregor’s trash talk, which targeted his family and crossed many lines.
On fight night, Khabib told Dana White, “Today, you can’t protect him,” and he meant it.
He dominated McGregor and finished him in the fourth round, but it wasn’t enough to cool his anger.
“I really wanted to bite someone’s heart,” Khabib admitted.
Looking back, Khabib feels it was just unfinished business. As for McGregor’s ongoing jabs, Khabib isn’t fazed: “What happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
He’s moved on, hopefully McGregor can do so as well some day.
