Khabib Nurmagomedov has angered Conor McGregor with his brutal assessment of Irish MMA.
The legendary UFC duo shared perhaps the most bitter rival in the company's history before fighting for the lightweight title at UFC 229 in October 2018.
Khabib Nurmagomedov won by submission before starting a wild post-fight brawl, with both men receiving heavy fines and fighting bans for their involvement.
A rematch never materialized when 'The Eagle' retired in 2020, but he and Conor McGregor still trade sporadic insults through interviews and on social media all these years later.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
A rivalry arose again
Khabib Nurmagomedov has transitioned into coaching after retirement and is doing well as he currently works with world champions in the UFC, Bellator and PFL.
On January 25, his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, will put his lightweight title and perfect 18-0 record on the line against Northern Irishman Paul Hughes at the Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai.
The fight is being touted as a rematch between the two regions, but the 29-0 UFC legend insists there is no rivalry between the countries as he believes Russia is far superior when it comes to MMA.
“Brother, Ireland has no fighters, brother,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with PFL.
“Let's be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor [McGregor]. And who else? There are no fighters, brother.
'Just come to Dagestan, you can understand. You know, so many organizations don't even sign Dagestan fighters because they're afraid that anyone can be a champion.”
“Let's be honest: Dagestan's MMA level here (raises arm high). But the Irish level is not even half of Dagestan's level.”
Hughes remained calm as he responded to Nurmagomedov's brutal review of Irish MMA. He tweeted: “Just wait and see.”
McGregor almost certainly won't do the same. 'Notorious' hasn't responded yet, but it seems like it's only a matter of time before he launches a Twitter tirade against his nemesis.
Darren Till disagrees with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Former UFC competitor Darren Till was not happy with Nurmagomedov's assessment of Irish MMA.
The Liverpoolan, who will box Anthony Taylor on January 18, argued that Russia's dominance is down to its size. In contrast, Ireland has become an MMA powerhouse despite being exponentially smaller and having a population of several million.
“I have always respected Khabib and his team immensely, they are fantastic fighters,” Till tweeted.
“But if he continues to sit there and say that the fighters from Ireland are low level compared to the size of the countries and the production, Ireland is actually way ahead. Ireland is so damn small and Russia is so damn big. Ireland has produced some great fighters in recent years. year.
“I would say the country is slightly bigger than the production and Ireland wins every time. I'm not biased because I'm neither friendly with Khabibs' side nor Ireland's side. I'm just giving my opinion weather.”
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