Daniel Cormier is steering clear of the never-ending rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Anyone who’s followed mixed martial arts for the last 6-7 years is well aware of the animosity between ‘The Eagle’ and the Irishman — a feud that came to a head at UFC 229 in October 2018 when the two squared off inside the Octagon in what would become the biggest fight in promotional history.
Even after ‘The Eagle’ earned a fourth-round submission victory over McGregor that night, the fight was far from over. Nurmagomedov notoriously (no pun intended) lept over the Octagon fence and went after McGregor’s cornermen — specifically Dillon Danis who was McGregor’s BJJ coach at the time.
To this day, Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor is still the most-watched fight of all time for the UFC, bringing in more than two million buys on pay-per-view. And even though that event was more than six years ago, it is still one of the most heated conflicts in combat sports.
Cormier Reveals why he doesn’t interview ‘Mystic Mac’
That’s probably why Cormier, who is a close personal friend of Nurmagomedov, has steered clear of trying to interview the Irish megastar on one of his many platforms.
“I don’t try to request McGregor for interviews,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t think that I would get him but I’m just saying it’s not a request I make every time I’m there. But this like, part of the course for these dudes. Because honestly, Khabib’s not just a teammate. He’s family. And they’re like that with everyone and they feel like if someone’s in conflict, especially at the level that Jones and I.
“Jones and I were in conflict, they’re very stern in the side they pick. And it’s kind of refreshing because most people aren’t like that guys. They’re just not, especially us, as Americans. So, watching that, that wasn’t crazy for me. Dude, he really is the man. Khabib is the man. He’s got to be one of the most genuine humans I’ve ever met.”