"You'll lose me too" - When Khabib Nurmagomedov threatened UFC against firing teammate who hit Conor McGregor at UFC 229 brawl

The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor remains unforgettable in the world of mixed martial arts.

Their clash took place at UFC 229 in 2018, where Nurmagomedov emerged victorious with a fourth-round submission. However, the aftermath of the fight was unprecedented in UFC history. 'The Eagle' jumped over the cage to attack McGregor's team, while some of his teammates entered the octagon and went after the Irishman.

One of the people who attacked Conor McGregor in the cage was Zubaira Tukhugov. As a result, he was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission and there were even talks of him being released by the UFC. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov threatened the company against firing Tukhugov.

In an Instagram post, 'The Eagle' made it known that he would walk away from the UFC if they released Zubaira Tukhugov:

"You canceled Zubaira's fight and you want to dismiss him just because he hit Conor. But don't forget that it was Conor who had hit my another Brother FIRST, just check the video."

He added:

"If you decide to fire him, you should know that you'll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother. If you still decide to fire him, don't forget to send me my broken contract, otherwise I'll break it myself."

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Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach claims 'The Eagle' was open to make a return

'The Eagle' capped off his incredible MMA career with a perfect record of 29-0 following his 2020 bout against Justin Gaethje. However, we might have seen him return to the octagon.

According to his coach, Javier Mendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov was open to returning if he saw "something spectacular" from Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier in their January 2021 matchup. However, he was left unimpressed with what he saw and decided to stay retired.

Javier Mendez said this during an interview with Grosvenor Sport:

"He was roughly tested for about eight months before he had enough. The UFC were trying to get him to come back and he came close. You saw it when we were in Abu Dhabi. He said, 'If someone shows me something spectacular then maybe I'll come back.'"

He added:

"It was Conor vs. Poirier that night, but it did not get Khabib excited. He said if something excited him on that card then maybe he'd consider it. But it never happened. The UFC was pushing him, but nothing excited him, so it was [a] no go."