He doesn’t appear to be too intimidated by The Notorious.
Conor McGregor’s backstage Brooklyn binge was said to have been inspired by a beef with Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor went nuts at the Barclays Centre on Thursday evening, hoisting and launching railings and bins in the direction of a bus which contained fighters for Saturday night’s UFC 223 Card.
A number of athletes, such as Michael Chiesa and Roy Holm were injured in the outburst and subsequently pulled from their Saturday night bouts, but it is widely believed that the target of the Crumlin native’s act of vandalism was Khabib, who will fight Max Holloway for the lightweight belt, previously held by McGregor on Saturday evening.
The Irish MMA personality has been locked in a verbal warfare with the Dagestani native for quite a while now. After his victory over Edson Barboza in UFC 219, Khabib called out McGregor.
“Maybe I have to stay humble, but tonight, I have to smash these guys and get these guys back, because these guys talk too much when I’m injured. Now, where are these guys?” he bellowed in McGregor’s direction.
True to character, the 29-year-old was quick and pointed in his response, delivered via Twitter.
That Dagestani was dog shit the other night you's are all nuts. Game full of sloppy bums asking to be slept. Pay me my worth and Kings back.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 1, 2018
There’s no love lost between the pair and after Khabib confronted McGregor’s training partner Artem Lobov earlier this week, the backlash was always going to arrive from the McGregor camp.
Fast forward a couple of days and the Dubliner would be in police custody with charges for assault and criminal mischief hanging over him.
Speaking to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani shortly after the Dubliner’s outburst, Khabib taunted McGregor with a bullish fight proposal. He doesn’t care if it’s man on man or team on team. Either way, he won’t be backing down.
We’d imagine he has a hardy entourage.
“We have to fight. If we have to fight, let’s fight. Send me location. Please, we have to fix this. Me and you. One-on-one. You want 10-on-10? Okay.”
Khabib is like a young Conor McGregor with his racing mouth showing plenty of similarities.
“I give his whole team slap and no one say anything. He come with media, with cameras when I’m alone. Of course I wanted to go outside but they don’t let me leave the bus. He knows this.”
This man is only getting going.
“I am laughing inside,” Nurmagomedov said. “You broke window? Why? Come inside. You know UFC don’t let you come inside. If you real gangster why don’t you come inside?”
That’s bound to rile McGregor.
