​It’s been nearly eight years since Conor McGregor fell to Khabib Nurmagomedov in one of the UFC’s defining battles, yet time hasn’t mended all wounds. As he gears up for his comeback clash with Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday, McGregor was pressed to weigh in on some of the sport’s greatest fighters, including Nurmagomedov himself. Nurmagomedov retired undefeated, finishing his career with a pristine 29-0 record that includes three consecutive title defenses against McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. But McGregor doesn’t appear impressed by that legacy, especially after claiming he wasn’t even at his best when he reached the fourth round against Nurmagomedov before being forced to tap to a rear-naked choke.
“The guy did nothing in the sport,” McGregor told Complex. “Thirteen fights in the UFC, that’s it, and three against named opponents. He fought me when I was off the yacht, during a period when I was partying hard, entangled in legal battles, and after hadn’t fought in two years. I was worth $200 million, and I came back to face this guy. I went four rounds with him, I had a broken toe. I’m pretty sure you saw the Netflix show where I broke my foot three weeks before the bout. This guy’s nothing.”
After defeating Gaethje in 2020, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement, vowing to stop fighting after his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s sudden death earlier that year. In recent years, Nurmagomedov has shifted into a coaching role, mentoring a number of top athletes, including the pound-for-pound No. 1 Islam Makhachev, as well as relatives Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov. Yet McGregor continues to harbor strong resentment toward Nurmagomedov, dissecting his career and questioning his decision to walk away while still in his prime.
“Where is he now? He’s gone,” McGregor said. “So I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. He gave in to his pain, and it’s a damn shame. I have nothing to say to him. Nothing about him. I don’t rate him. Never fought, missed weight, never fought above his weight divisions. Three fights, no stoppages, no knockouts. How many knockouts did he have, three or four? You must be mad.”
To Nurmagomedov’s credit, he concluded his career with 19 finishes in 29 fights, including three submissions that finished McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje before stepping away. Still, McGregor remains unconvinced by Nurmagomedov’s overall résumé, arguing that his early phase involved competing against a less challenging spectrum of opponents before he finally reached the UFC octagon in 2012.