Ahead of his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329, Conor McGregor tore into the legacy of retired MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who beat him at UFC 229 in 2018.
In an interview with Jordan Rose for the latest episode of Complex’s Re-Rank, McGregor made shots at Nurmagomedov, who retired from MMA with an undefeated record following his fight against Justin Gaethje in 2020.
“Come on, the guy’s done nothing in the sport, he got nothing in the sport,” said McGregor. “Thirteen fights he’s had in the company, that’s it, and three against named opponents.”
He said that Nurmagomedov’s win against him at UFC 229 didn’t mean much considering he wasn’t at his prime when they squared up.
“I was off the yacht, I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? 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,” McGregor continued as he listed other excuses for his loss.
“I come back and fight this fucking guy. I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe. I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show where I broke my fucking foot three weeks before the bout.”
Nurmagomedov retired from fighting following the death of his father, who was also his head coach, in 2020. Nurmagomedov was just 32.
McGregor questioned other aspects of Nurmagomedov’s career, noting that he didn’t believe he ever fought above his weight division.
“Come on, man, how many knockouts has he got? Fucking, three or four?” said McGregor, even though Nurmagomedov has eight knockout wins, 11 submissions, and 10 decisions.
“This guy’s nothing. Then where is he now, also? He’s gone,” McGregor said. “So, I don’t rate him at all. No courage, the man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damn shame. I have nothing to say to him, nothing to say about him. You must be mad if [you think] I’m gonna waste my fucking time watching this shit.”
