Conor McGregor is taking aim at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy as he gears up for his comeback fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday.
McGregor, who previously lost to Nurmagomedov by rear-naked choke in the fourth round, sharply downplayed the former lightweight champion’s body of work. “The guy done nothing in the sport,” McGregor said while reflecting on their 2018 meeting.
“13 fights he’s had in the company, that’s it and three against named opponents. He had a fight against me, I was off the yacht. I was doing bad things on the yacht. I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn’t fought in two years. I was worth $200 million and I come back and fight this f*cking guy,” McGregor said.
“I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe. I’m sure you seen the Netflix show where I broke my f*cking foot three weeks before the bout. This guy’s nothing,” he added, later continuing, “Where is he now also? He’s gone,” and, “So I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it’s a damn shame. Nothing to say to him. Nothing about him. I don’t rate him.”
Nurmagomedov retired undefeated at 29-0 after consecutive title wins over McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, announcing his decision following his 2020 victory over Gaethje. He now works as a coach with athletes including Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov and Usman Nurmagomedov.
