Khabib Nurmagomedov Quickly Strikes Back At “Absolute Liar” Conor McGregor Over Scam Narrative, Offers Clarification To Fans
The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is alive and well in 2025. This time, it centers not on a fight but on digital collectibles and accusations of scamming fans.
Nurmagomedov launched an exclusive Telegram-based auction of digital papakhas on November 22, 2025. The papakha is a traditional sheepskin hat worn by men throughout Dagestan and the Caucasus region. Khabib made the hat famous during his UFC career, wearing it into the octagon as a symbol of his heritage.
The auction sold 29,000 digital papakhas over approximately 24 hours through 290 short bidding rounds of five minutes each. Each digital collectible cost buyers roughly 10,100 Telegram “Stars,” equivalent to about $150 USD. The total revenue reportedly reached $4.35 million.
Shortly after the sale concluded, reports surfaced that Nurmagomedov had removed most promotional posts related to the digital collectibles from his social media accounts. This triggered McGregor’s attack.
Conor McGregor’s Accusation
McGregor returned to social media after a self-imposed break and immediately targeted his longtime rival. He posted on X:
“There is just no way good guy Khabib used his late fathers name, as well as Dagestan’s culture, to scam his fans and fire sell a bunch of digital NFT’s online and then delete all of the content after they were sold, leaving his fans robbed of their money? There is just no way good guy do this.”
He followed up with: “What a shame and a stain on his father’s name. Just wow! To scam fans using his father and his countries culture is just so low. Father’s plan has now become Father’s scam.”
The “father’s plan” reference takes direct aim at a phrase Nurmagomedov used throughout his career when speaking about the goals his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, had set for him. Abdulmanap died in July 2020 at age 57 from complications related to COVID-19.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Response
Nurmagomedov did not stay silent. He responded within minutes:
“You absolute liar. You will always try to darken my name, after you got destroyed that night, but you will never achieve that! Yes, good guys don’t do that. They don’t create exclusive digital gifts with real time value, that you can share with your friends and family. Gifts in the shape of Papakha – hat that symbolize traditions and culture of Dagestan people. Traditions and culture that slowly walking over this world, whether you like it or not! Gifts that you can find exclusively on Telegram, greatest messaging platform on the world.”
The “destroyed that night” line refers to their UFC 229 bout in October 2018. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round.
What Are These Digital Collectables?
Telegram’s digital gifts function as collectibles built on the TON blockchain. Buyers can purchase them with Telegram Stars or Toncoin, display them on their profiles, transfer them to friends, or sell them on external marketplaces as NFTs.
The papakha collectibles came in various rarity levels, from common designs to rare “Legendary Item” versions at 0.1% drop rate. Eight winners were also supposed to receive signed physical papakha hats.
Context and Background
Unverified claims from YouTuber Coffeezilla about an NFT-style collaboration built with Bitcoin-mining firm GoMining. The campaign itself was a standard limited-edition Digital Miner collection, identical in functionality to GoMining’s other products, representing tokenized hashrate from real mining hardware that continues to generate daily Bitcoin payouts for holders. GoMining maintains that no fraudulent activity, speculative upside, or special investment promises were ever attached to the Khabib-branded items, which differed only in artwork and branding. In 2024, Nurmagomedov separately lent his support to the ‘CONVICT’ meme coin, a satirical token referencing McGregor’s legal troubles.
GoMining, a Bitcoin mining platform active since 2021 with over 11 million TH/s in global data centers, clarified that Coffeezilla’s 2023 claims arose from unverified third-party commentary without contacting the company for response. Their Digital Miners tokenize real hashrate from physical hardware, delivering ongoing BTC rewards to users much like fractional ownership in energy infrastructure—distinct from speculative NFTs, with the Khabib edition matching all others in function and transparency.
The timing of the digital papakha launch coincided with Nurmagomedov inviting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov to train at his Dagestan camp. Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $17.1 billion, attended UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi and responded to Nurmagomedov’s invitation with “Send location, brother.”
Opinion among MMA fans remains split. Some view the collectibles as similar to Reddit awards or Fortnite skins. Others argue that using cultural symbols and his father’s legacy to sell digital items crosses a line.
McGregor has also faced criticism for his own cryptocurrency involvement. His meme coin called $REAL failed to reach its funding goal earlier in 2025, generating only $392,315 from 668 bidders.
The two men have not fought since UFC 229. McGregor has not competed since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He is expected to return once his anti-doping suspension ends in March 2026.
