"Hope this pisses off some young kid in Ireland" - MMA fighter shares his two cents on Khabib Nurmagomedov claiming Ireland "don't have fighters"

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently claimed that Irish fighters are not on the same level as Dagestani competitors. Now, a ONE Championship fighter has weighed in on the ongoing debate.

PFL is promoting Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes as Russia vs. Ireland 2, a sequel to the infamous rivalry between Usman's cousin Khabib and Irish superstar Conor McGregor. Usman is set to defend his title against Hughes at the Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai. In a recent interview, 'The Eagle' stated that Ireland doesn't have fighters on the same level as Dagestani fighters and claimed their MMA skills are significantly inferior.

@homeoffight shared Khabib’s comments on Instagram, which sparked numerous reactions across the MMA community. Australian fighter Reece McLaren took notice of the post and shared an optimistic take, commenting:

“Hope this pisses off some young kid in Ireland and he becomes obsessed, trains hard and makes the big time and more.”

Check out Reece McLaren’s comment below:

Screenshot of Recce McLaren’s comment. [Image courtesy: @homeoffight on Instagram]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov doubles down on Dagestan vs. Ireland MMA debate

Khabib Nurmagomedov highlighted the difference in success rates of Dagestani fighters compared to Irish fighters in a recent interview with PFL ahead of his cousin Usman's title defense against Ireland's Paul Hughes. Following reactions from Conor McGregor and Hughes himself, 'The Eagle' has now reaffirmed his views.

The UFC Hall of Famer and former pound-for-pound king wrote on X:

“You can say whatever you want, but if we’re talking about facts, you can’t compare Irish fighters with fighters from Dagestan. We dominate amateur MMA, and it’s not even close—not just compared to Irish fighters but the whole world. I’m absolutely confident that if we were to organize a team vs. team matchup, Dagestan would defeat a world team in amateur MMA.”

He added:

“When it comes to professional MMA, we have champions, contenders, and ranked fighters in every major league. Show me Irish fighters who are currently title contenders in the top 3 MMA promotions. At best, you might be able to name 1 or 2 fighters. The facts speak for themselves.”

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov’s X post below: