Why Khabib Nurmagomedov Refuses to Say Conor McGregor’s Name Even To This Day
Nearly seven years after their showdown at UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov still won’t say Conor McGregor’s name.
Although they only fought once, Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s intense rivalry is among the fiercest in UFC history. So much so that ‘The Eagle’ still won’t say the Irishman’s name when looking back at their iconic feud during interviews.
Recently, Nurmagomedov’s friend and former training partner, Daniel Cormier, offered some insight into just how deep the hatred goes between two of MMA’s biggest stars.
“He won’t say (McGregor’s) name still today,” Cormier said of Nurmagomedov on Club Shay Shay. “He still does not say his name. He still won’t say his name. Last week, he did an interview in New York and he says, ‘This guy.’ He’ll never say his name. He hates him. Dude, they’re in the octagon and Conor goes, he whispers after the third round after Khabib’s beating (him), ‘It’s just business.’ Khabib goes, ‘No it ain’t. No it ain’t.’ You don’t mess with them dudes, man.
“He was going to kill him. He was going to put him to sleep. He was holding him and he said, ‘I kicked your ass. I kicked your ass.’ Then he jumped over the fence and tried to beat his team. I was like, ‘Whoa!’ But dude, he had him. He was not going to let him go because he felt his family got so disrespected by this dude that he wanted to end him. And honestly, sometimes you bite off more than you can chew because Conor got beat bad that night. He got beat bad.”
Nurmagomedov ultimately came out on top, choking out McGregor to retain the UFC lightweight championship in October 2018.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor’s post-fight brawl still looms large
Immediately following the fight, Nurmagomedov jumped the Octagon fence and went after McGregor’s former BJJ coach, Dillon Danis, who had allegedly directed some unsavory comments toward ‘The Eagle’ during the fight. The incident sparked a wild post-fight brawl both in and outside the cage.
Nurmagomedov received a nine-month suspension and a $500,000 fine for his role in the incident, while McGregor received a six-month suspension and a $50,000 fine.
