"I think he was happy" - When Khabib Nurmagomedov suggested Conor McGregor was saved from a worse fate by the referee at UFC 229

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov took on his arch nemesis and former double champ Conor McGregor at UFC 229 after years of tension and rivalry between the two.

The blockbuster main event went down in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and recorded the second-highest gate in UFC history.

In front of a record crowd, Nurmagomedov dominated the majority of the contest. 'The Notorious' suffered a trademark mauling from the Dagestani before he was locked in with a neck crank in the fourth round.

McGregor tapped out and Nurmagomedov was promptly separated by the referee before an ensuing brawl between the two camps led to even further drama on the night.

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor was happy and relieved to tap out on his submission attempt. In an interview with the Nelk Boys on ther Full Send Podcast, 'The Eagle' rhetorically questioned the outcome of his neck crank if the referee Herb Dean was not present.

He said:

“They don’t understand the game. That’s why. But I don’t care, I think he was happy. [You think so?] I think he was happy because like- [You think he was happy that you tapped him?] Of course, what’s gonna happen if referee was not there? [You would have broken his neck] [shrugs]”

Check out the clip below:

Check out the complete podcast episode below:

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Former Mexican cartel member narrates how Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam changed his life

Former Mexican cartel member Zack Gonzalez credited Khabib Nurmagomedov for helping him find his way towards Islam.

Gonzalez, raised in a Christian household and having served a prison sentence, explained how he had 'hit rock bottom' in his life before coming across the recitation of the holy Quran.

Soon after, he saw Khabib Nurmagomedov's last fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and began wondering about the devout Muslim's constant words of gratitude and spirituality.

He said:

“So obviously, I’ve always been active in combat sports. And a homeboy invited me over to his house, he said, hey you wanna see this UFC fight coming up? And it was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje. And I see Khabib saying, ‘Alhamdulillah,’ and I was like, what is that. And I start investigating. And I started knowing about Khalid bin Walid, about the sahaba, how they were real warriors.They were real men. I fell in love with it… Allah guided me.”

Check out Nurmagomedov's post of Zack Gonzalez's comments: