Five years removed from his iconic fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Irish megastar Conor McGregor threw some shade at his former opponent.
On October 6, 2018, Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon fresh off his professional boxing debut against Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. Determined to reclaim the lightweight title, ‘The Notorious’ went toe-to-toe with then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in what would become the most-watched fight in the UFC’s 30-year history with a record-breaking 2.4 million pay-per-view purchases.
McGregor decided to commemorate the anniversary by calling out ‘The Eagle’ on the same night that Nurmagomedov’s protege, Islam Makhachev, defeated Alexander Volkanovski via a first-round knockout at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
“5 years ago. 2018. I am now a black belt,” McGregor wrote on X. And with faces broken from the clinch on my record. As well as knives and daggers from the bottom. Homie quit, never forget. He is made of a b*tch.”
The Chaos of Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s rivalry is nothing short of legendary, with the Irishman famously launching a dolly into a bus he thought to be carrying the UFC Hall of Famer long before they ever stepped inside the Octagon. Instead of causing harm to his foe, the incident resulted in multiple fighters, including Michael Chiesa and ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas suffering injuries and trauma.
After Nurmagomedov’s fourth-round rear-naked choke submission of McGregor at UFC 229, ‘The Eagle’ flew over the top of the cage and immediately went after the Irishman’s cornermen, including Dillon Danis who worked as McGregor’s BJJ coach ahead of the fight. Following the chaotic scene, Nurmagomedov was suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission while McGregor was hit with a six-month suspension for his role in the post-fight brawl.
The Eagle’ went on to defend the lightweight title two more times against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje before walking away from the sport with a 29-0 record. Focused on training after laying down his own gloves, Nurmagomedov would go on to coach the next lightweight world champion, Islam Makhachev.
Since defeating Charles Oliveira to claim the title at UFC 280, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ has defended the gold twice against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Makhachev earned a unanimous decision against ‘The Great’ at UFC 284 in February. He followed that up with a stunning head kick KO against Volkanovski on Saturday night at UFC 294.