5 most notorious moments from Khabib Nurmagomedov's bitter rivalry with Conor McGregor

The Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rivalry is arguably the most heated feud in MMA history. The pair's mutual hatred for each other culminated in a lightweight title fight at UFC 229, which became the most successful pay-per-view the promotion has ever held.

At the T-Mobile Arena in front of over 20,000 fans, the two men locked horns in a highly anticipated clash of styles. Nurmagomedov was the Russian wrestler, a mountain man with quiet intensity and cold confidence instilled in him by life in the harsh extremes of Sildi, Dagestan.

Meanwhile, McGregor was the flashy striker, a Dubliner with overstated self-belief who rattled his opponents with trash talk and peacocked his way to superstardom. Their feud was, and still is, memorable, and it owes its standing in MMA history to several key moments that no other rivalry can claim to have replicated.

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#5. Khabib Nurmagomedov's confrontation with Artem Lobov

The spark that lit the fire of a feud that still burns to this day was Khabib Nurmagomedov's response to an Artem Lobov interview. While comparing 'The Eagle' to his then friend and SGB Ireland teammate Conor McGregor, 'The Russian Hammer' opted to insult Nurmagomedov.

He questioned his professionalism, accusing him of pulling out of fights for every reason under the Sun. Moreover, he labeled Nurmagomedov a chicken, questioning his manhood: an unforgivable offense to a Dagestani. This prompted Nurmagomedov to confront Lobov at a fighter hotel.

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's confrontation with Artem Lobov:

He cornered Lobov, surrounding him with his entourage before slapping and chastising him. The encounter was filmed and uploaded to the internet, with Lobov cutting a far more timid figure than his previous interivew had implied. The sight of his then friend in such a state enraged McGregor, and he vowed to take revenge.

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#4. The infamous UFC 223 Media Day bus attack

Upon catching wind of Khabib Nurmagomedov cornering and slapping Artem Lobov, Conor McGregor rounded up his own cronies and flew to New York. At the time, Nurmagomedov and several other fighters competing on the UFC 223 card, which Lobov was also on, were leaving the Barclays Center on a bus.

Check out Conor McGregor's bus attack:

However, before its departure, it was intercepted by McGregor and his entourage, who attacked the bus, screaming for Nurmagomedov to disembark it. McGregor most notably hurled a metal box cart or dolly at one of the bus' windows, causing the glass to shatter and injure Michael Chiesa.

While McGregor was unsuccessful in getting to Nurmagomedov, he was arrested and faced legal consequences for his actions. Regardless, it ultimately heightened fan interest in the pair's growing feud, especially after 'The Eagle' defeated Al Iaquinta for the Irishman's vacant lightweight title.

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#3. The first UFC 229 pre-fight press conference

Dana White is on record referring to the first UFC 229 pre-fight press conference as the darkest presser he has ever presided over and it is easy to see why. Conor McGregor has always been a trash-talker, but at the first UFC 229 pre-fight presser, he pushed the boundaries of trash talk to its limit.

Check out the first UFC 229 pre-fight presser:

He questioned Khabib Nurmagomedov's allegiance to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. He also mocked Nurmagomedov's religion by trying to goad him into drinking whiskey, knowing full well that alcohol consumption is forbidden in Islam. When Nurmagomedov refused, McGregor referred to him as a 'backwards c*nt.'

In the end, he also alleged that Ali Abdelaziz, his rival's manager, had abandoned his own son and also revealed that his past as an FBI informant. The attacks were deeply personal and Nurmagomedov was fortunate that McGregor arrived too late for the second press conference to catch him prior to his departure.

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#2. The Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor post-fight brawl

At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov exacted his revenge on Conor McGregor by dominating him in typical fashion en route to a fourth-round submission. McGregor's only true actions in the fight were flagrant fouls that went unpunished. After submitting McGregor, though, Nurmagomedov was incensed.

Check out the UFC 229 post-fight brawl:

All of the anger he had kept bottled up during the buildup to their fight was unleashed. Dillon Danis, a provocateur who sat in the Irishman's corner, taunted Nurmagomedov from cage-side, enraging him further. In response, Nurmagomedov scaled the fence and launched himself at McGregor's corner.

This sparked a brawl, with members of Nurmagomedov's entourage entering the cage to assault McGregor. Security eventually put a stop to the attack, and fans in attendance were on the verge of rioting in outrage. Fortunately, everyone left the arena uninjured, but the brawl lives on in infamy.

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#1. Conor McGregor's numerous tweets aimed at Khabib Nurmagomedov

After beating Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov has shown little interest in the Irishman. By contrast, McGregor has been hell-bent on rematching Khabib, refusing to let their feud die. In an attempt to provoke him into another fight, McGregor has continued to tweet insults over the years.

"15 minutes I done Aldo 15 seconds. Show yo wife n*gga. Show yo kids n*gga. Cousin f*cking motherf*ckin hidin motherf*cker. Show us you and your cousins kids together because we have kids here in Ireland that wanna smoke them in competititon."

He mocked the death of his rival's father, though in response to 'The Eagle' describing Dustin Poirier's victory over the Irishman as a triumph of good over evil. He also mocked Khabib's wife in a since-deleted tweet, and most recently insulted his rival's family again.

This came in response to Paul Hughes and 'The Eagle's' amicable relationship, with Hughes being an Irishman who looked up to McGregor and even wanted him in his corner in his bout against Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Champions Series 1. McGregor viewed it all as a betrayal and it reignited his hatred for Khabib.