Kelvin Gastelum says Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are escalating things “to a point where it shouldn’t have to.”
The recent social media exchanges between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor have turned ugly and extremely personal. Khabib even warned the Irishman that he wouldn’t be “safe” after insulting not only his wife and family, but the entire religion of Islam.
Kelvin Gastelum weighed in on the topic, and the middleweight contender worries that at this rate, it would end up in legitimate violence instead of just a sporting contest.
Related: Islamophobia and the UFC: How McGregor uses ethnic and religious tension to sell fights
“I just think that there is some lines that shouldn’t be crossed and this rivalry going on right now is escalating to a point where it shouldn’t have to,” Gastelum said (HT: MMA Fighting). “And I feel like if it keeps escalating the way it is, somebody’s going to end up getting hurt or shot or something. I truly believe that.
“You shouldn’t mess with people’s wives. You shouldn’t mess with people’s family or religion, absolutely.”
It’s worth noting that Gastelum shares the same manager as Nurmagomedov. The same manager who says McGregor could get “disappeared” on the streets because of all this madness.