UFC newcomer wants apology from McGregor for badmouthing Dagestan

New UFC signee Muhammad Mokaev wants a dialogue with Conor McGregor for the Irishman’s previous comments about Dagestan and its people.

Conor McGregor has ruffled a lot of feathers over the years. But the ones that usually got him in trouble were things he said that many would easily deem to be crossing the line.

In 2018, “The Notorious” incited a personal rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom at one point he referred to as a “smelly, Dagestani rat.” And even after the now-infamous post-fight brawl that broke about because of such comments among many others, McGregor continued to stoke the fire against Dagestan in its people.

These actions never went unnoticed, and now, even UFC newcomer and Dagestan native Muhammad Mokaev wants McGregor to be held accountable. In his recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Mokaev says all he wants is to ask the Irishman why such words against his people were uttered. And he wants to do it face-to-face.

“To be honest, I really want to ask him why he talk bad about Dagestan. I really want to ask him, ‘Why talk about every person?’ I want to see face-to-face, I want to see his energy. Because I really… my managers, everybody saying he isn’t the same like he’s on the media,” he said.

“I just want to feel myself this energy. I don’t have to prove (anything to) anybody. I don’t have to be this (way) on the camera. I want to ask him about my people. Business, it’s good. But my people is my people. I want to ask him, why everybody? Just tell him, ‘it’s not good to call out the whole nation.’

“In Ireland, there’s also bad people. There’s also good people. My boxing coach is Irish. You cannot just say ‘Dagestan, bad.’ You cannot say this. This is wrong. He has to apologize about this.”

Mokaev also has a problem with Cody Durden and the recent comments he made about UFC Vegas 43 opponent Qileng Aori. Now, he wants Durden for his Octagon debut, which he hopes will happen in March in his adopted home country of England.

“If he accepts, I really want to smash him. And I see a lot of my supporters tweeting, ‘Smash him.’ And I’m like, ‘Hey, if people want to see this, that’s what I’m here for.’

“He apologized, but listen, if somebody don’t shake your hand, you just call him something. I don’t want to swear, but you call him, like, idiot. But you don’t go to race. (Going after) race is lower level mentality. Come on.

“I don’t believe racism should exist if you have a brain, you know? But if you don’t have one, it’s always gonna be there.”

The 21-year-old Mokaev is 5-0 (1 NC) as a professional and 22-0 as an amateur. He is also a two-time European champion under the International MMA Federation (IMMAF).