Conor McGregor just cannot seem to let his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov go after taking yet another swipe at his long-time rival ahead of his return to the cage. The former two-division champion is set to make a stunning return to competition this weekend when he takes on Max Holloway in a welterweight showdown at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a first round defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.
McGregor's Long Layoff and Last Win
McGregor was due to return to action two years ago against Michael Chandler, but was forced to pull out after breaking his toe in training. The Irishman's last win inside the Octagon came six years ago — a 40-second demolition of Donald Cerrone. His win over 'Cowboy' was his first appearance in the cage since losing to Nurmagomedov.
Both men went head-to-head in what was billed as the biggest fight in the history of the sport at UFC 229 in 2018. The build-up was marred by controversy after he vandalised a bus in New York transporting bitter rival Nurmagomedov. Their pre-fight press conferences saw the two fighters trade verbal jabs — before they finally settled their feud in the cage.
One-Sided Bout and Aftermath
In a one-sided affair, it was the Russian who would go on to submit McGregor in the fourth round. In the years that have followed, the Irishman has failed to accept the loss and move on. Ahead of his comeback on Saturday night, the UFC veteran could not resist yet another dig at his former foe.
“The guy done nothing in the sport,” McGregor told Complex. “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****** guy. I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe. I’m sure you seen the Netflix show where I broke my f****** foot three weeks before the bout. This guy’s nothing.”
McGregor's Critique and Khabib's Legacy
The Irishman added: “[Khabib] never fought, missed weight, never fought above weight divisions. Three fights, no stoppages, no knockouts. Come on, how many more knockouts has he got, three or four? You must be mad. His first half of his work was fighting in his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere, wherever they’re from. He’s like 12-0, the opponent he’s fighting is 0-0. This isn’t boxing. I don’t rate him.”
Nurmagomedov would go on to fight two more times in the sport after his highly-anticipated grudge match with McGregor. The Dagestan native submitted Poirier at UFC 242 in 2019, before submitting Justin Gaethje a year later. The Russian laid down his gloves after the bout, promising his mother he would call it a day following the death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Khabib retired with a perfect 29-0 record, while McGregor has not won a fight since January 2020.
