Okay, Seattle, you gotta hear this, because Conor McGregor is back to his old tricks, throwing some serious shade at his old rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor just went on record saying he absolutely does "not rate" Khabib, even though the guy retired undefeated and actually beat McGregor in their epic showdown.
The Yacht, The Toe, And The "No Courage" Bomb
Seriously, man, McGregor is NOT holding back before his big comeback fight this Saturday against Max Holloway. He told Complex that Khabib has "done nothing in the sport," citing only 13 fights in the company, with just three against "named opponents." And get this, he's got excuses for their 2018 fight at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena, which, by the way, was the highest-grossing UFC fight of all time. McGregor claimed he was "off the yacht," "partying heavily," and "up to my eyeballs in court cases" before that bout. He hadn't fought in two years and said he was worth 200 million back then.
He even pulled out the old "broken toe" card, saying he had a "f***ing foot" injury three weeks before the fight. Talk about some wild claims! But the real kicker? He called Khabib "nothing," saying, "No courage, the man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damn shame." McGregor, who's gonna be 38 next week, was talking about Khabib retiring in 2020 at just 32, after his father and coach passed away.
"Mad" To Watch Him And A Shaky Comeback
McGregor didn't stop there. He said you'd have to be "mad" to waste time watching Khabib, hitting him for never fighting above weight divisions, missing weight, and only having "three or four" knockouts. For the record, the dude actually has eight KO/TKO wins, plus 11 submissions and 10 decisions, so maybe McGregor's memory is a little hazy on that one. The feud between these two goes way back, with McGregor insulting Khabib's religious beliefs before Khabib submitted him and retained the UFC lightweight title. This Saturday, McGregor is facing Holloway at welterweight, 13 years after he first outpointed the natural featherweight.
This fight isn't just a comeback from a broken leg McGregor got in a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. Back in 2024, a civil jury found he had raped a woman in Dublin in 2018. He still denies all allegations and appealed the verdict, but it didn't change anything. So, yeah, there's a lot riding on this one for McGregor as he steps back into the octagon.
This Saturday's fight against Max Holloway is huge for McGregor's return after five years out of the game and all this trash talk. What are we gonna see when the main event finally drops?
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.