Conor McGregor has insisted he does “not rate” Khabib Nurmagomedov, despite his old rival retiring unbeaten – and with a win over the Irishman.
On Saturday, McGregor will fight for the first time in five years, as he takes on Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, bidding to come back from a broken leg in his last bout.
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The contest will take place at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, where Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the highest-grossing UFC fight of all time.
Conor McGregor (left) and Khabib Nurmagomedov in their 2018 fight (Getty)
It followed a bitter feud between McGregor and Nurmagomedov, with the Irishman insulting the Russian’s religious beliefs, before the latter retained the UFC lightweight title with his victory.
On Saturday, McGregor faces Holloway up at welterweight, 13 years after outpointing the natural featherweight, and ahead of that bout, he was asked about where Nurmagomedov ranks among the all-time greats.
“Come on, the guy’s done nothing in the sport, he’s done nothing in the sport,” McGregor told Complex. “Thirteen fights he’s had in the company, that’s it, and three against named opponents.
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“He had a fight against me coming off… I was off the yacht, I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? 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.
“I come back and fight this f***ing guy. I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe; I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show, where I broke my f***ing foot three weeks before the bout.
“This guy’s nothing. Then where is he now, also? 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.”
McGregor, who turns 38 next week, was referring to Nurmagomedov’s retirement in 2020. At the age of just 32, the “Eagle” quit fighting after the death of his father, who also served as his head coach.
Nurmagomedov with his father Abdulmanap (right), who coached him from when he was a young boy (AFP/Getty)
“I have nothing to say to him, nothing to say about him,” McGregor continued. “You must be mad, you must be mad if [you think] I’m gonna waste my f***ing time watching this s***.
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“Never fought above weight divisions, missed weight, three fights [against world champions], no stoppages, no knockouts. Come on, man, how many knockouts has he got? F***ing three or four?”
Nurmagomedov in fact has eight KO/TKO wins, 11 submissions, and 10 decisions.
On Saturday, McGregor will not only aim to come back from the broken leg that he sustained in a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier; in 2024, a civil jury found that he had raped a woman in Dublin in 2018. McGregor continues to deny all allegations against him, and he appealed the verdict – although to no avail.
