Conor McGregor didn't just have his sights set on Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. The Irishman also took shots at the Russian fighter's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who he accused of being an 'informant'.
'The Notorious' returned to the octagon in 2018 following his monumental boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Standing in his way was Nurmagomedov, who had dominated the lightweight division in his absense.
The build-up to the fight was vicious and nasty, mainly from the Irishman's side, which included McGregor's infamous attack on the fighter bus. The emotions also boiled over following the fight, where the infamous brawl of UFC 229 took place.
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Prior to the pair stepping into the cage, however, Conor McGregor made shockwaves with some of his comments during the pre-fight press conferences.
On one such occasion, he took shots at Dominance MMA CEO Ali Abdelaziz, whom he accused of being removed off a flight for having five passports. He said:
"His [Khabib Nurmagomedov] manager is a f*cking snitch, terrorist, rat and that's it. I could go into heavy detail and I will go into heavy detail! He [Ali Abdelaziz] was pulled off of a flight going from Cairo, Egypt going to New York City on September 11, 2001. He was caught with five passports in his possession and he turned informant...I don't even know how that man is allowed is in this f*cking country...Don't ever take information from an informant."
Watch Conor McGregor's fabled rant here:
UFC veteran weighs in on Conor McGregor's new documentary
Conor McGregor's latest documentary, McGregor Forever, released on Netflix earlier this month. The show has recieved mostly positive feedback from fans and critics, who enjoyed the behind-the-scenes access to McGregor's world.
The documentary covers the Irishman's return to the octagon in 2018, his comeback win against Donald Cerrone, and his ill-fated attempts to defeat Dustin Poirier in 2021.
Weighing in on the show was former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub. Schaub praised the documentary for not only showcasing the Irishman's true stardom but also for drawing out his emotion.
'Big Brown' explained:
"I watched it [the documentary], and I got sad. I got sad at the end because I don't think we'll ever see that again, not in my lifetime... Now we'll see guys taking on these huge boxing fights. It started the whole Jake Paul and Logan Paul thing. All that comes out of Conor's ability to dream so damn big to fight Floyd Mayweather, so now it's common... You see Conor, and you don't think he takes the game that seriously because he does all antics... You watch it, and you see how much he cares... It was fascinating."
Catch Schaub's comments here: