Conor McGregor has sounded off on longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov and his late father. Additionally, 'The Notorious' referenced the elder Nurmagomedov being denied a visa to the U.S.
Khabib's father, legendary MMA coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, notably trained many elite fighters, including Khabib (former UFC lightweight champion) and Islam Makhachev (reigning UFC lightweight champion).
In July 2020, Abdulmanap passed away due to COVID-induced health complications. Khabib competed just once thereafter before retiring from MMA in Oct. 2020, as his mother didn't want him to continue competing without his father.
Speaking to Adin Ross, former POTUS (President of the United States) Donald Trump recently named Nurmagomedov as his favorite fighter. McGregor responded by jibing at Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
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Conor McGregor is likely to return to the octagon in Dec. 2024. Amid McGregor's ongoing war of words against the Nurmagomedov's on X, a netizen implied that Nurmagomedov was trying to work with Trump to stop global wars. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion replied by tweeting:
"lol! He fled his country after terrorists from his gym committed an act of terror in their city. He was banned from leaving and he fled. If he goes back to Russia he is locked up instantly. I am currently in an auction to buy the house that was repossessed from him. It's going well."
Another X user opined that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov opened the gym in Dagestan to dissuade children from becoming religious extremists, to which Conor McGregor tweeted:
"I guess he didn't do a good job so. Hence terrorists breeding from the gym itself and it being raided and closed down. As well as his refusal of entry into the USA over the years on top of this. I just wonder why that was? Look, he is brown bread now so it doesn't matter, rip, but it's interesting all the same. Have a great day Sir!"
Check out the screenshots of Conor McGregor's tweets below:
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was denied a U.S. visa in 2017 and 2018 and couldn't corner Khabib in his fights both times. It's unclear how many times Abdulmanap successfully procured a U.S. visa. Nevertheless, McGregor insinuated that there could've been a more sinister reason behind the visa denials. He tweeted:
"Hey guys why couldn't khabibs dad gain entry to America ever? What was the issue there? He was never allowed access and now you hear all what is taking place currently, the terrorists from their gym gunned down while in the middle of inflicting a terror attack in their own country with khabib then subsequently fleeing the country after their gym and homes were raided and reposed, leaving behind his wife, kids, family, mother in the process, the whole lot. It makes you wonder. Before the death of khabibs father via Covid-19, why was he always refused entry into the US?"
Check out a screenshot of one of Conor McGregor's tweets below:
A look at Khabib Nurmagomedov's recent setbacks referenced by Conor McGregor
Recent reports suggest that Khabib Nurmagomedov owes around $3.3 to $3.4 million in unpaid taxes to Russia's FTS (Federal Tax Service) and that his properties in Russia are being repossessed and possibly auctioned off.
After the terror attacks in Dagestan in June 2024, Nurmagomedov's local gym was raided by the Russian authorities, as one of the terrorists (Gadzhimurad Kagirov) had trained at his gym. 'The Eagle' reportedly left Russia and could face legal action upon returning, whereas McGregor claims to be bidding to purchase the Nurmagomedov family home.