Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin Usman claims Conor McGregor is still haunted by UFC 229 loss

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, took a jab at UFC star Conor McGregor, reigniting the long-standing rivalry between the Dagestanis and ‘The Notorious’. He claimed that McGregor's loss to ‘The Eagle’ at UFC 229 still haunts the former two-division UFC champion.

Khabib faced McGregor at UFC 229 after a heated buildup filled with trash talk. After submitting the former featherweight champion in the fourth round, the fight led to one of the most infamous post-fight brawls in UFC history, resulting in fines and suspensions for both fighters.

The rivalry once again made headlines when Khabib’s cousin, Usman, faced Irish fighter Paul Hughes in a bout promoted by PFL as "Dagestan vs. Ireland 2," a nod to UFC 229. Following the loss, Hughes addressed Khabib, stating that he is "not like other Irish," seemingly implying a contrast with McGregor.

This led to McGregor slamming both Hughes and Khabib. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting on SBN, Usman was asked by Damon Martin about McGregor’s reaction to Hughes showing respect to Khabib. Usman asserted that the former first simultaneous two-division UFC champion still hasn’t moved on from his UFC 229 loss and took a jab at him, stating:

"Khabib kicked his a** he wants a rematch but he has to live with this all his life. When his kids are 18 [years old], people will say ‘Hey your father tried to do some crazy stuff but some guy from Dagestan came to America and kicked your father’s a**. That’s why he can’t sleep.’"

Check out Usman Nurmagomedov’s comments below (11:29):

Meanwhile, Khabib has backed Hughes in his exchange with McGregor and even invited ‘Big News’ to his home country, Dagestan.

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Dricus du Plessis speculates on which version of Conor McGregor could have defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov

During his appearance on Shadow Banned, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis speculated that the version of Conor McGregor who fought Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 could have defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. He stated:

"[McGregor's] fight against Alvarez...Look at that fight, it was flawless. He didn't do anything wrong. He fought one of the greatest fighters in the world and made him look like an amateur...I think he [The Conor McGregor that faced Eddie Alvarez] beats Khabib."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (1:20:25):