​Conor McGregor used UFC 329 fight week as another opportunity to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy, dismissing the undefeated former lightweight champion’s accomplishments and ranking Islam Makhachev above him in the all-time greats conversation. In a candid interview with Complex, McGregor laid out his assessment with his characteristic bluntness. “The guy has done nothing in the sport,” he insisted. “Thirteen fights he’s had in the company, that’s it, and three against ‘name’ opponents. He had a fight with me. I was off the yacht. I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn’t fought in two years. I was worth $200 million, and I come back and fight this f—king guy. I did four rounds with him. I had a broken toe. I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show where I broke my f—king foot three weeks before the bout. This guy’s nothing. Then where is he now? He’s gone. So I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damn shame. I have nothing to say to him, nothing to say about him. I don’t rate him.”
In Nurmagomedov’s stead, McGregor elevated Makhachev—Khabib’s teammate and successor as lightweight champion—above the veteran in his personal rankings. “He’s above Khabib,” McGregor asserted. “Finishes, body of work, both divisions. For sure, he is. Still in it, still at it. People are impressionable when talking to him to get out of it. There’s a lot left in that boy, and he should recognize that and keep going. I have him above both his teammates.”
McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s rivalry will be remembered for their storied confrontation inside the Octagon, including Nurmagomedov’s victory over McGregor at UFC 229, a fight that remains the highest-selling pay-per-view in UFC history. Now, as McGregor prepares to return on Saturday to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 welterweight main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the bout is set to stream on Paramount+. The lead-up to UFC 329 has romanced fans with high-stakes debates about merit, longevity, and who truly stands as the greatest among the sport’s elite, all while McGregor’s sensational comments continue to spark conversation about his evolving perspective on who belongs in the conversation for all-time greatness.