​Conor McGregor has openly dismissed Khabib Nurmagomedov as an all-time great, insisting that the unbeaten former champion does not deserve high praise and questioning where he fits among the sport’s legends. The Irishman’s comments come as he prepares for a UFC 329 main event against Max Holloway in Las Vegas, marking his first ring appearance in five years. The bout at the T-Mobile Arena will be McGregor’s long-awaited return to competition, following his last clash in which he suffered a broken leg.
The memory of Nurmagomedov’s victory over McGregor remains fresh in many fans’ minds. It was the defining moment of a heated rivalry that played out across the UFC landscape, with McGregor once directing inflammatory remarks toward Nurmagomedov’s religion, and Nurmagomedov eventually retaining the lightweight title in their highly publicized encounter. That fight, staged at the pinnacle of UFC pay-per-view success, helped create some of the organization’s most lucrative revenue in history.
Ahead of his welterweight showdown with Holloway—thirteen years after McGregor first outpointed the featherweight prospect—the former two-division champion offered a strong take on Nurmagomedov’s place in the sport’s pantheon. In an interview with Complex, McGregor insisted that Nurmagomedov’s resume does not measure up to the sport’s greats. “Come on, the guy’s done nothing in the sport,” he said. “Thirteen fights in the company, that’s it, and three against named opponents.”
McGregor recalled their 2018 clash, a bout he describes as being hampered by personal turmoil and off-field distractions. He said he was training while dealing with a period of personal upheaval—describing himself as having just left a yacht and facing legal challenges, with his career momentarily stagnant as he tried to rebound. He claims he returned to the cage to face Nurmagomedov while he himself was dealing with other life pressures, including a significant injury to his toe that required surgery just weeks before the fight. He asserts that Nurmagomedov’s performance that night did not demonstrate the kind of dominance that McGregor believes defines true greatness.
“Where is he now, too? He’s gone,” McGregor added, reiterating his stance that Nurmagomedov lacks the qualities he admires in the sport’s legends. “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.” He was referencing Nurmagomedov’s retirement in 2020, which followed the passing of his father and longtime head coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, a pivotal figure in his son’s career.
In continuing his critique, McGregor emphasized Nurmagomedov’s purported shortcomings. He questioned the Russian’s willingness to compete across multiple weight classes, noted a missed weight in the past, and pointed to a lack of knockouts, arguing that Nurmagomedov’s record did not indicate the kind of knockout power that would elevate him among all-time greats. Nurmagomedov’s actual record, however, includes eight KO/TKO victories, 11 submissions, and 10 decision wins, underscoring a well-rounded and sustained level of success that McGregor seems to dismiss.
As McGregor sets his sights on Holloway this Saturday, the focus is not only on restoring his own career after a long layoff and a broken leg sustained in his 2021 bout with Dustin Poirier but also on navigating the broader spotlight those comments have generated. The sanctioning and legal narratives surrounding McGregor continued to unfold in 2024, with a civil jury finding him liable for an alleged 2018 rape in Dublin. McGregor has denied all allegations and has appealed the verdict, though the case has yet to be resolved.
The upcoming fight at UFC 329 represents a critical moment for McGregor, who turns 38 next week. He will be looking to reassert himself in a high-profile matchup against Holloway, a veteran known for his relentless pace and striking versatility. The stage is set for what could be a defining chapter in McGregor’s career as he attempts to rejoin the elite levels of the sport, while Nurmagomedov’s legacy, already cemented by a string of title defenses and an undefeated record, continues to provoke debate among fans and pundits alike.