The world of online betting just got a lot more exciting! High odds are never in short supply when Conor McGregor starts talking, and despite who you were backing for the Dubai season, we are sure that this recent bit of news will make things a lot more interesting.
While nobody knows when McGregor’s next fight will be, anyone can guess when he’ll open his mouth. As Dubai’s PFL event came to a close with Usman Nurmagomedov defeating Paul Hughes after a five-round thriller, McGregor made sure that his opinions were heard. This is what he had to say:
“Tremendous fight and performance! Easy win for Hughes; he DOMINATED THAT FIGHT. And Umar is exactly what it says on the tin, a Nurmagomedov. Runner, sprinter, bolter, scarper, scurrying “fighter.” The Nurmagomedovs are not fighters. They are the most non-fighting fighters out of Dagestan and all time. Run around the cage and shoot ass. Dagestan is better than the Nurmagomedovs, and that is a FACT.”
Harsh words, but understandable, given the history he has had with the Nurmagomedov family.
The Context
At UFC 229, Conor McGregor fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in a highly publicized bout. McGregor threw a chair at Khabib’s team bus during the build-up, and there was a lot of trash-talking. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their lightweight title bout using a vicious combination of a rear-naked choke and a face crank. After dominating the Irishman throughout the fight, Khabib put the biggest black mark on McGregor’s UFC record.
Immediately following the bout, Nurmagomedov jumped over the cage and began attacking one of McGregor’s teammates and coaches; his teammates then began punching McGregor until security arrived.
Khabib retired in 2020 with an undefeated record as UFC lightweight champion, but McGregor rarely misses an opportunity to take shots at anyone from the Nurmagomedov lineage.
In the time after, Nurmagomedov grew into a leading instructor in the industry, guiding friends Islam Makhachev to UFC championships and his cousin Usman to the same honor.
Regarding McGregor, he hasn’t competed for over four years due to his horrific broken leg sustained in a bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021. Even if McGregor is set to make a comeback in 2025, it’s rather improbable that he would face anyone associated with the Nurmagomedov family or team in his maiden bout back.
Regardless, McGregor continues to attack them whenever possible, and Usman is the most recent victim.
The Dubai Heist
The event promoted three fights, where fighters from Ireland and Dagestan were pitted against each other. On the undercard prior to the main event, Ibragim Ibragimov defeated Nathan Kelly, and Akhmed Magomedov defeated Kenny Mokhonoana. As such, the weight rested on the shoulders of Paul Hughes to win something back for his country, but he was unable to get the job done despite putting on a great show. The Irishman did an outstanding job defending the takedown, but he was unable to capitalize until the very end, leading to his second career loss.
However, many thought he should have gotten a draw because of his efforts, especially after a point deduction. In interviews with news outlets, Nurmagomedov has stated his disinterest in a rematch and expressed his desire for Hughes to win a string of fights before they meet again.
Reports indicated that McGregor would be there to support Hughes. After all, McGregor has publicly said he likes the way Hughes fights. That would have put him in a coaching role where he would have faced Khabib again. The fact that it never materialized did not silence McGregor, though.
Usman’s Post-Fight Comments
McGregor’s comments came swiftly on the heels of Usman’s post-fight comments, in which he admitted to having underestimated Hughes. This is what he had to say:
“Paul Hughes, brother, you are the man, brother. You’re really the man. Brother, you are tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy. Whew. It was my little mistake, but still undefeated, undisputed, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov. His wrestling defense, takedown defense [went] very well. He’s tough, he’s strong. I didn’t think he would be this strong, brother. Brother, you are really strong. You tell me in the face to face, this was my mistake; you were right, brother. Thank you so much.”
Coming into the battle, the Irishman had a two-fight winning streak. He proved he wasn’t a pushover with victories over Bobby King and AJ McKee. Like everyone else, the Irishman had many skeptics he needed to disprove. After claiming that the only two famous Irish MMA athletes were Hughes and McGregor, Khabib cast doubt on the sport’s legitimacy. To drive home the point about the talent gap, he used the analogy of Dagestan. It was clear from Usman’s remarks that Hughes had reason to be pleased with his performance.
Have We Seen the End of the Feud?
While the MMA world has more or less moved on from the events of UFC 229, it is clear that McGregor still dwells in the past. The possibility of a rematch is slim to none. However, while there are rumors about a possible McGregor vs Paul match, this is also unlikely to happen. The only thing that can be said with utmost certainty is that McGregor is no coward when it comes to speaking his mind, so we shall be hearing a lot from him.
Hopefully, one of the questions he addresses will be the ever-popular, ‘when does Conor McGregor fight again?’, unlikely as this is, too. The fighting world misses McGregor, whether they love him or hate him, and a return in 2025 would be a treat that most people would be happy to receive. Who knows, perhaps McGregor’s future return could be the impetus Khabib needs to come out of retirement and settle the score for good.
A Few Words in Closing
Regardless of McGregor’s comments, nobody can take away Usman’s win. What did you think? Did he deserve it? Let us know in the comments below!
