Khabib Nurmagomedov takes vicious shot at Conor McGregor while backing Paul Hughes
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Khabib Nurmagomedov was far less cordial in his response to Conor McGregor’s recent tirade than Paul Hughes was.
Hughes Brushes Off McGregor Tirade
The rivalry between “The Eagle” and “The Notorious” is one of the most infamous in MMA history, and even more than five years after Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 the bad blood between the two men still runs deep.
Paul Hughes responds to Conor McGregor's wild social media attacks
Nurmagomedov initially ran afoul of Hughes leading up to PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series for his comments about the quality of Dagestani vs. Irish MMA, but after “Big News” and Khabib’s cousin Usman put on an incredible fight in Dubai the two camps quickly buried the hatchet in the event’s aftermath.
A recent video from Anatomy of a Fighter covering the Hughes vs. Nurmagomedov fight sent McGregor on a social media tirade against Hughes, who delivered a simple response after the UFC star's comments turned towards the 27-year-old’s home country of Northern Ireland.
@TheNotoriousMMA always said u were the goat, payed homage at every opportunity.
— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma) January 29, 2025
But coming at my Irish identity just shows where your head is at.
“Always said u were the goat, payed homage at every opportunity. But coming at my Irish identity just shows where your head is at.”
UFC star Conor McGregor goes viral at college basketball game
Nurmagomedov Torches McGregor For Deleted Posts
Hughes could have been forgiven if he’d lashed out with the same energy McGregor brought in his now-deleted posts, but one person that was more than happy to not pull any punches was Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“You are a real Irishman [Paul Hughes] and not a rapist and a drug addict like this b******d.” – Nurmagomedov wrote on his Instagram story.
“The Eagle” went on to defend his UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje after submitting McGregor in 2018. Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 record after defeating Gaethje at UFC 254, but since the 36-year-old hung up his gloves his rival McGregor has only stepped into the Octagon on two occasions.
Charles Oliveira's manager delivers harsh reality check on Conor McGregor's fighting future
“The Notorious” was set to compete for the first time since 2021 against Michael Chandler in June before withdrawing from the fight with a broken toe, and as of late McGregor has been far more preoccupied with lawsuits, cutting promos for BKFC, and attending basketball games than preparing for what appears to be an increasingly-unlikely return to the Octagon.
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