Khabib Nurmagomedov criticized Conor McGregor on Instagram, calling him a “rapist and drug addict,” following McGregor’s derogatory comments about Irish fighter Paul Hughes, reigniting their longstanding feud that began with their UFC 229 fight in 2018.
Khabib Nurmagomedov? Yeah, he’s got no time for Conor McGregor. The latest drama unfolded when McGregor picked a fight with fellow Irishman Paul Hughes.
Hughes had just lost a close decision to lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Dubai. Initially, McGregor praised Hughes’ performance in the five-round battle.
But then, things took a turn. After catching a clip of Hughes seemingly dissing him during a chat with Khabib, McGregor unleashed a series of tweets. Not your usual friendly banter—these were insults aimed at Hughes and his Northern Irish roots. Classy, right?
Hughes? He brushed it off like lint on a black suit. Meanwhile, Khabib jumped into the fray with his own less-than-diplomatic remarks.
“You are a real Irishman [Hughes], not a rapist and drug addict like this bastard,” Khabib fired back on Instagram Stories. Ouch.
Khabib and McGregor’s beef goes way back, all the way to their infamous UFC 229 showdown in October 2018. Remember that? Khabib choked out McGregor in the fourth round, then chaos erupted as he went after McGregor’s cornerman Dillon Danis.
That night ended with suspensions and fines for both fighters and others involved. Wild times.
As for McGregor now? He might fire back online, but he hasn’t been doing much fighting lately. His last bout was in July 2021, where he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
These days, McGregor’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Legal troubles from past incidents keep cropping up—like that civil suit for sexual assault from 2018 in Dublin and another one from an alleged incident at a Miami Heat game in 2023.
Will this saga ever end? Who knows!