Conor McGregor has some explaining to do.
The former UFC lightweight champion went to war with Khabib Nurmagomedov back in late 2018 and the nasty, pre-fight buildup was considered the “darkest” in the history of the promotion, with “Notorious” taking personal potshots at all things “Eagle.”
That didn’t sit well with undefeated bantamweight Muhammad Mokaev, who inked a UFC contract last week and is excepted to make his Octagon debut in early 2022. In fact, the 6-0 “Punisher” plans to have a little face-to-face meeting with “Mystic Mac.”
“He has sent me message when I was fighting in March; he wished me all the best. I replied, ‘Thanks.’ But to be honest, I really want to ask him why he talked bad about Dagestan,” Mokaev told The MMA Hour. “You know, 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, like, my managers and really everybody say like, ‘He isn’t same like he is on the media.’ So, I just want to feel myself this energy. I don’t have to prove anybody. I don’t have to be this on the camera.”
Mokaev and McGregor are both signed to Paradigm Sports.
After losing to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, McGregor was mixed up in a post-fight brawl with some of “The Eagle’s” teammates. That only added fuel to an already out-of-control fire and to this day, “Notorious” still has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Khabib.
Perhaps he can settle it with Mokaev — either on or off camera.
“I want to ask him about my people. My people is — business is good — but my people is my people, no? I want to ask him why [he talks trash about] everybody, you know. Just pick the person; 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. And you cannot just say, ‘Dagestan are bad,’ you know. You cannot say this. This is wrong. He has to apologize about this. I will 100-percent say, I don’t have to be camera, don’t have to be this show, big drama, I want to feel this energy.”