Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor goes after Khabib over comments on deleted tweets: ‘Keep my name out of your mouth’

Conor McGregor reacts to Khabib’s comments on his controversial deleted tweets.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to react to [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s recent comments on the Irishman’s controversial tweets.

The former two-division UFC champion took to Twitter on Thursday to warn Nurmagomedov to not mention his name again. Nurmagomedov, who defeated McGregor in the highest selling UFC pay-per-view in history at UFC 229, called McGregor a “dirty” person and questioned his character after McGregor took a shot at Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, calling him “evil” and COVID-19 “good” after he died from complications from the virus in July 2020.

In a quote tweet to the clip from the “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast, McGregor sent a warning to his former rival.

“I wanna eat his children!!!! When’s the last time he’s even seen them actually? His wife ? Mother? How bout you go spend some time with your kids and family for a change and keep my name out of your mouth b4 you get trapped somewhere again you mightn’t be so lucky next time.”

http://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1423423765191348225

[lawrence-related id=657467,651377]

The Nurmagomedov-McGregor rivalry dates back prior to the buildup to their UFC 229 lightweight title clash in October 2018, which “The Eagle” won by fourth-round submission. It’s one of the most personal feuds in combat sports history.

Nurmagomedov retired undefeated in October 2020 after defending his title against Justin Gaethje. Even though Nurmagomedov was arguably the best fighter on the planet and one of the biggest names in combat sports, he walked away from the sport after he promised his mother he wouldn’t continue his fighting career without his father by his side.

McGregor last fought in July and suffered a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier, losing the trilogy between the two. McGregor currently is recovering from a broken leg injury sustained in the bout, which led to the TKO stoppage after the first round.

[listicle id=631495]

[vertical-gallery id=390041]

Khabib Nurmagomedov to Conor McGregor: Deleted tweets about father show ‘how dirty you are’

Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Conor McGregor’s recently deleted tweets about his deceased father show exactly who he is.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] thinks Conor McGregor’s recently deleted tweets about his deceased father further shined light on who he really is.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was caught up in another controversy this past week when he took a shot at Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap, calling him “evil” and COVID-19 “good” after he passed away from complications from the virus in July 2020.

The tweets were in response to a comment from Nurmagomedov, who said “good always defeats evil” after McGregor suffered a broken leg in his first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

Nurmagomedov offered his thoughts on the situation during an interview on the “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast released Wednesday. He thinks McGregor further exposed himself as a “dirty” person.

“When he talked about this, only evil can talk about your father, wife, kids, religion,” Nurmagomedov said. “If you’re normal human, you’re never going to talk about this stuff. For me, I think he post this tweet (while) drunk too much or (he was doing) something. Then the next day, he always delete these tweets. When he become normal life (he looks at his phone) and says, ‘Oh, look what I did.’ Then he delete. This is my opinion what he do all the time.

“When someone is not with us – he is not even alive – this shows what you have inside. This shows how dirty you are. When you one of the best in the world and you come and you punch someone who is like 70 years old, like an old man (in a pub), this shows your heart. This shows who you are inside, how dirty you are. When you have parents and you have kids, how can you show yourself like this? I don’t understand why his close people don’t go, ‘Hey, what’s going on?'”

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov at the end of their UFC 229 fight. (Associated Press)

Nurmagomedov elaborated that he thinks McGregor’s actions are spilling over from issues in his personal life. He’s unsure if change is possible, too, because he doesn’t see McGregor as someone who has the right people around him.

“When you become rich, when you become famous, some people they lose real people around them,” Nurmagomedov said. “They lose them. Real people who love you, they’re going to tell you the truth. But fake people? They always say, ‘You’re good.’ They never say to you nothing because they don’t want to upset you because they know they’ll lose this comfortable spot. Real people, they don’t care about this. They were with you before you became famous and rich. They don’t care about your money. They just love you. I think he lose a lot of people around him. I don’t think he have people who were with him before when he become champion. Everybody needs someone who reminds you, ‘This is good, this is bad.'”

[lawrence-related id=657467,653335,651377]

The rivalry between Nurmagomedov and McGregor dates back prior to the buildup to their UFC 229 lightweight title fight in October 2018, which “The Eagle” won by fourth-round submission. It’s one of the most personal feuds in combat sports history, and it’s clear there are still deep-seated issues between the two sides.

Nurmagomedov said he doesn’t let any of it bother him, though. He believes his composure and strong-mindset played a major role in his successful fighting career, and it will continue to be a trait that gives him the upper hand over McGregor no matter what the Irishman does while Nurmagomedov enjoys retirement.

“I think one of the biggest reasons why I become champion, is this is about my mental part,” Nurmagomedov said. “How I can control my emotions. I think I can control anything. Anything happens with me in the world, I can control this. I can handle this.”

[vertical-gallery id=355186]

[vertical-gallery id=437333]

Usman Nurmagomedov wanted longer fight at Bellator 263, says coach Khabib Nurmagomedov was critical of performance

Despite winning in the first round, Usman Nurmagomedov says his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was still critical of his performance.

Usman Nurmagomedov continues to turn heads in the Bellator lightweight division, but wishes he had the opportunity to show more of his game on Saturday.

At Bellator 263, Nurmagomedov (13-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) made quick work of Manny Muro, ending the fight in the first round with a knee to the body. The finish was impressive, but the Khabib Nurmagomedov-coached fighter was disappointed the fight ended so quickly.

“I wanted to show people that I have wrestling as well, that I have grappling, and to make a statement that I’m not only a striking guy,” Nurmagomedov said through a translator at the post-fight news conference. “That’s why I was trying to fight for a little longer.”

Although his plan was to get more time inside the cage, he ended the fight quicker than expected, which isn’t necessarily the worst thing that could happen during a fight. However, that didn’t stop his coach from being critical of his performance, no matter how long it lasted.

“When he stepped inside the cage, he pointed out all of my mistakes,” Nurmagomedov said about the former UFC champion’s criticism of his victory. “(He said) I had a lot of mistakes, but we will work on them and improve.”

Nurmagomedov hopes to land a spot on the upcoming Bellator card planned for Russia later this year.

Watch the full post-fight press conference with Nurmagomedov in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=657238]

 

Gadzhi Rabadanov scores nasty KO at Bellator 263; coach Khabib Nurmagomedov loads fallen fighter on stretcher

Khabib Nurmagomedov coached his fighter Gadzhi Rabadanov to a violent KO win – and then loaded the fallen opposition onto a backboard.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] showed the ultimate sign of respect to a fallen fighter following a scary knockout at Bellator 263.

During the Bellator 263 prelims Saturday at The Forum, promotional debutant [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] (16-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) scored a violent finish of opponent [autotag]Daniel Carey[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) at 3:57 of Round 1.

Bellator 263 took place Saturday at The Forum. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

The knockout was shocking and the follow-up shots were devastating. When referee Frank Trigg finally jumped in, Carey was in all sorts of trouble. As CSAC and Bellator officials scrambled to signal for a backboard and stretcher, Carey remained unconscious on the ground.

As the medical equipment was brought into the cage, Rabadanov’s head coach and former UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov walked over to the floored opposition and assisted medical professionals as they applied the neck-brace and loaded Carey onto the backboard.

After Carey was lifted from the ground, Nurmagomedov and Carey’s cornerman shared an embrace of respect in the cage, which was captured on video by MMA Junkie.

Bellator 263 live results include:

  • Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Daniel Carey via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:57
  • Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Jonathan Quiroz via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 4:21
  • Joshua Jones def. Johnny Cisneros via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 4:15
  • Georgi Karakhanyan def. Kiefer Crosbie via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:25
  • Brian Moore def. Jordan Winski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Daniel Cormier immediately called Khabib Nurmagomedov after Conor McGregor ‘crossed the line’ in deleted tweet

Daniel Cormier immediately picked up the phone to check on Khabib Nurmagomedov after Conor McGregor “crossed the line” in a recently deleted tweet.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s recent Twitter attack on [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s late father did not sit well with former UFC champ-champ [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag].

On Monday, McGregor posted a message on Twitter that appeared to be directed towards Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away this past July after testing positive for COVID-19. The now-deleted Tweet read, “Covid is good and father is evil?”

Cormier, a very close friend of Nurmagomedov, took exception with the attack, expressing that McGregor has gone too far with his trash talk.

“After the fight with Dustin Poirier, a lot of people questioned whether or not Conor McGregor was reaching to try to get in the head of Dustin Poirier,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.”  “(To) Reach back to a time where he had a trash talk that could affect people. It didn’t seem to work against Poirier and I feel like from him talking about Dustin’s wife, to now Khabib’s father, he is just taking it way too far.

“When you’re dealing with death and covid and all these other things that we’ve dealt with over the last year and a half, that’s all off-limits.”

[lawrence-related id=636947,635325]

There was a sharp contrast in McGregor’s approach to pre-fight antics in his rematch with Poirier at UFC 257 where he was cordial and friendly, versus the brash, foul-mouthed fighter who showed up for the trilogy bout at UFC 264. After losing to Poirier the second straight time, the low-brow attacks continued, even while he sat inside the cage with a broken leg.

It was a similar approach we saw McGregor take in the lead up to his title-challenging bout against Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. The Irishman verbally attacked Nurmagomedov’s wife and his religion, among other things before the two met inside the cage, where McGregor lost by fourth-round submission.

“We talked about wives and families being off-limits, but you’re talking about a man’s ‘everything’,” Cormier said. “Khabib’s dad was his ‘everything’ and you’re talking about him being gone today due to something that has been so terrible for our entire world, and you use that in a sense to get back?”

Since UFC 264, McGregor has been on more than one Tweet-and-delete spree. The first series of attacks were directed at Poirier’s family in a series of messages that included a picture of Poirier’s young daughter. Cormier believes McGregor may have been plotting his messages, considering the timing.

Most importantly, Cormier was worried about the effect that the messages may have had on his friend Nurmagomedov, who is happily retired from competition and knows he would only try to do something about it inside the realm of a sanctioned bout.

“This wasn’t done the day after the fight or the same night of the fight,” Cormier said. “This was done weeks after the fight, so it feels like it was thought of and it was thought through for Conor to tweet something like that. Now, I get shock value and I get trying to get people to talk, but (this was) way too far, to the point I immediately called Khabib last night and said, ‘Hey, are you okay?'”

While Nurmagomedov may be able to dismiss the messages from McGregor himself, sometimes his fans can pile on in support no matter the message, which baffles Cormier.

“Honestly, when Conor does stuff like that, it’s hard to understand how there’s this mass amount of people that support that type of behavior,” Cormier said.

“I think when stuff like that is being said, I think it’s a cry for help.”

[vertical-gallery id=544529]

[vertical-gallery id=437333]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Conor McGregor tweets, then deletes, apparent taunt of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dead father

While Conor McGregor doesn’t directly mention Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, it’s pretty hard to think he was referring to anything else.

While [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s recently deleted post on social media doesn’t directly mention Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the deceased father and longtime trainer of [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], it’s pretty hard to think the Irishman was referring to anything else.

Late Monday night, McGregor took to Twitter to post a simple message that has since been deleted:

Covid is good and father is evil?

The statement appears to be a clear reference to Nurmagomedov’s post earlier this month, following the main event of UFC 264, where Dustin Poirier scored a first-round TKO over McGregor when the former two-division UFC champion’s left leg snapped, rendering him unable to continue.

Good always defeats evil. Very happy for @DustinPoirier
I hope you will get the belt end of the year

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died this past July after testing positive for COVID-19 and then suffering a heart attack that forced him to undergo emergency bypass surgery. He was 57 years old.

Prior to the elder Nurmagomedov’s passing, McGregor actually posted a classy message of support that was widely praised in the MMA community as a dignified message to a former rival.

However, McGregor has taken a much different approach to his interactions with fellow lightweights in more recent times, taking a more aggressive tone with rivals and seemingly leaving nothing off-limits, including calling Poirier’s wife a “ho” while he was still seated on the canvas following the UFC 264 loss.

In addition to his apparent reference to Nurmagomedov, McGregor also tweeted and deleted the latest defense of his UFC 264 loss, which he has repeatedly made clear was due to a doctor’s stoppage, which he does not consider a true TKO.

Jumping a guillotine is not a takedown.
Absorbing the kick into the leg is not a check.
A doctor stoppage is not a tko.
The game goes on bitches.
Piss ants to me yous all are.
Not even peasants. Piss ants!
Now get to your stationed vlogger cameras you novice bums! #nobodies

McGregor, 33, is currently recovering from surgery to insert a titanium rod into his injured leg, which is expected to keep him out of the octagon for the better part of a year. Once cleared to fight again, McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has vowed to recover the UFC lightweight belt he claimed with his 2016 win over Eddie Alvarez – though he was later stripped of the title due to inactivity.

[vertical-gallery id=631884]

[pickup_prop id=”9528″]

[lawrence-related id=633539,646923,644120]

 

‘Khabib plz stop 4 photo’: Nurmagomedov fan standing with sign in blazing heat gets her wish

A Khabib Nurmagomedov fan waited in the Las Vegas heat with a sign hoping to get a picture with the retired former UFC champ.

Although he’s retired from competition, former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] still brings out the most loyal fans.

In a video posted to UFC’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts on Wednesday, a woman was standing outside the UFC Apex in the blazing Las Vegas heat holding a sign that reads, “Khabib plz stop 4 photo.”

According to the caption on the post, the temperature outside was 105 degrees Fahrenheit – and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

“I love him very much and that I just want to meet him in person,” said the 66-year-old who was hoping to get a picture with Nurmagomedov.

Apparently, the woman’s charm paid off because the video continues to show her inside the UFC Apex speaking with president Dana White, who promised he would set up a meeting with her favorite fighter.

“I’m gonna get you to meet him, okay? I’ll get you a meeting with Khabib,” White said much to the joy of the fan, who said she lives in California, originally from Bogota, Columbia. The woman gave White her phone number and ensured he would get back to her once he figured out his schedule.

At the very end of the video posted to the UFC’s official Instagram story, White also asked if she would attend the fights on Saturday. The video ends before she could respond, but she did ask if it would be possible to get a ticket while standing outside.

White, being a man of his word, made the meeting happen as the woman appeared with Nurmagomedov in a photo that was posted to the UFC’s Instagram story and re-posted by matchmaker Mick Maynard’s Instagram.

Nurmagomedov and the fan also appeared to have a Facetime call with White, showing smiles all around.

khabib nurmagomedov with fan dana white facetime

How cool was this moment between a superstar athlete one of his biggest fans?

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Khabib Nurmagomedov confirms he declined recent Georges St-Pierre fight offer: ‘Let this guy be a legend’

Despite Dana White’s continued efforts, Khabib Nurmagomedov is staying firm that he’s retired.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is retired. He’s said it time and time again. However, UFC president Dana White’s persistence to persuade the former lightweight champion out of retirement has continued into the summer of 2021.

In a May appearance on Mike Tyson’s podcast, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz revealed White recently placed on the table an extremely high-profile and lucrative offer to fight [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag]. Despite the zeroes on the contract, Nurmagomedov (29-0) turned it down.

“He sent me a message and said, ‘Hey, Georges St-Pierre wants to fight with you,'” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I said, ‘What can I do?’ I don’t know. I’m finished, you know? I think Georges is finished, too, you know. Let this guy be a legend. He’s 40 years old and I don’t understand why he has to fight. I think he has money, too. I’m finished. I’m really finished.”

At this point, Nurmagomedov, who retired in the cage in October after winning his 29th consecutive fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, is used to fielding the comeback questions. Not only that, he’s prepared himself for the same for years to come.

“I’m only 32 years old,” Nurmagomedov said. “People are going to talk about this (for) maybe the next seven (or) eight years. Because for MMA, a lot of guys on the top are 37, 38, 39. They’re still on the top. People are going to talk about this until that day comes I think.”

[lawrence-related id=635325,634853]

Nurmagomedov and St-Pierre (26-2) expressed interest in fighting one another in the past. Ahead of his 29-0 record-clinching victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October, Nurmagomedov name-dropped St-Pierre as an ideal opponent for his 30th (and then-thought to be final) fight.

Following Nurmagomedov’s retirement, St-Pierre deflected questioning as to whether or not he would have accepted the fight had it been offered and had Nurmagomedov not announced his retirement inside the cage.

St-Pierre, 40, has not competed since a one-off comeback fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in November 2017. The fight was St-Pierre’s first in four years.

Check out MMA Junkie’s interview with Khabib Nurmagomedov above.

[vertical-gallery id=437333]

[pickup_prop id=”5659″]

Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘Something superior’ caused Conor McGregor’s leg break at UFC 264

Khabib Nurmagomedov points to divine intervention when breaking down Conor McGregor’s leg break at UFC 264.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] points to divine intervention when breaking down [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s leg break at UFC 264.

McGregor’s (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ended in gruesome fashion when the former two-division champion could not continue after suffering the injury in the closing seconds of Round 1. Poirier (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC) was declared the winner by TKO, and afterward, Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) tweeted that “good” had prevailed over “evil.”

There’s no doubt Nurmagomedov’s negative history with McGregor led to his initial reaction, but he said he stands behind it. He saw the way in which McGregor acted before the fight with Poirier – as well as after the fight – and he pointed to the will of God not allowing the Irishman to thrive in that moment.

“(There’s) always (going to) be there something superior – more powerful – than we have,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie on Monday. “Sometimes when people become, ‘I’m this, I can do this. I’m smart because I’m strong.’ God always going to make you humble. I saw yesterday or two days ago, I saw his coach’s interview like, ‘I don’t understand how this happened. He’s a strong young, strong man and he broke his foot, I don’t understand.’ Everything from God. You have to become humble. When you become rich, when you become strong, when you become famous and then you think this is because of myself? God going to make you humble.”

[lawrence-related id=634818,634841]

Nurmagomedov clearly doesn’t feel bad that McGregor suffered an injury that required a three-hour surgery with a rod, plate, and screws being inserted into his leg. Oppositely, he’s thrilled with the outcome, because it saw Poirier shine inside the octagon.

The victory for Poirier set him up for a lightweight title showdown with Charles Oliveira, and Nurmagomedov said he hopes to see “The Diamond” capture gold.

“I really enjoy this fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “I’m really happy with Dustin Poirier. I think he deserve title shot, and I think he deserve to be UFC lightweight champion right now.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOB62VlOBPQ

[listicle id=633868]

[pickup_prop id=”5659″]

Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Poirier’s TKO of McGregor: ‘Good always defeats evil’

Khabib Nurmagomedov is happy Dustin Poirier prevailed over Conor McGregor at UFC 264.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is happy [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] prevailed over [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] at UFC 264.

Nurmagomedov, a former UFC lightweight champion, was keeping a close eye on the trilogy fight between his former opponents, which saw Poirier (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC) win by TKO after McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) suffered a leg injury to end the first round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It’s no secret “The Eagle” isn’t fond of McGregor, so he reveled in Poirier’s victory (via Twitter):

Good always defeats evil.
Very happy for @DustinPoirier
I hope you will get the belt end of the year

With the win, Poirier will most likely move on to challenge Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title Nurmagomedov vacated earlier this year.

At this point, it’s clear Nurmagomedov wants him to win.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[vertical-gallery id=632743]

[listicle id=631495]

[pickup_prop id=”5659″]