5 UFC legends who are vocal critics of Conor McGregor
It's difficult not to have an opinion on Conor McGregor. He has been the UFC's poster boy for years. So, it's not surprising that 'The Notorious' has been attracting a lot of attention on social media, perhaps more so than the norm.
Things seem to have gone downhill since his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Conor McGregor, well-known for his verbal jabs, has been called out by fellow fighters for his not-so-nice comments about Dustin's wife, Jolie Poirier.
The frustration boiling over for Conor McGregor here.
No matter the hardship, Notorious will be back. #UFC264 https://t.co/tghHEv8TSy
Many, predictably, criticized the Irishman for his antics, even though some, like former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, came to his support.
I’m amazed that as soon as you hit the ground you were already promoting the next fight @TheNotoriousMMA - I def wouldn’t have had the mind to do that. The other fighters, @ufc and media are lucky to have you.
Due to his reputation over the years, it is no surprise that McGregor has taken a lot of flak for his actions in the business. He has faced criticism from all directions, including current and former UFC fighters.
To that end, here are five UFC legends who have been vocal critics of Conor McGregor.
#5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
The former UFC lightweight champion has been a longtime rival of Conor McGregor. The two met inside the octagon for a high-voltage lightweight title bout at UFC 229, following Conor's return to the UFC.
While the fight amassed $2.4 million in pay-per-view buys – the highest in UFC history – its buildup was littered with controversy.
A few months before their matchup, a video of Nurmagomedov getting into an altercation with Conor's friend, Artem Lobov, went viral.
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov and Artem Lobov's altercation here:
McGregor didn't take too well to his friend being bullied and rushed to confront Khabib at the media day event of UFC 223. Things escalated when he attacked the bus carrying Khabib and other fighters.
As expected, there was some intense trash-talking at the UFC 229 pre-fight press conference.
Conor attacked Khabib's father, calling him a "coward" who showed "fake respect," possibly to get under the Russian’s skin. Khabib didn't take the bait but promised to answer back in the octagon.
Watch Conor McGregor commenting on Khabib Nurmagomedov's father here:
Before the fight, Khabib poked fun at the Irishman for not speaking in Gaelic and also called him “drunk.” It came after Conor McGregor's proclamation that his Proper Twelve whisky would be “on the canvas” of the cage.
Dana White says @TheNotoriousMMA’s @ProperWhiskey is indeed a sponsor of UFC 229, Conor says the logo will be on the canvas https://t.co/fPyPsfgi2V
Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Khabib said:
"He speaks only one language and he talks about 'Oh, we fight with the English empire!' But what happened with your language? If you love your country, you have to speak your language. Do you just want to show up and say you're Irish and take the flag with you but you don't speak your language? You speak English."
Watch the full interview here:
Recently, they engaged once more on social media. Following Conor McGregor's loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, Khabib Nurmagomedov took a jibe at ‘The Notorious.’ Khabib posted a tweet that read, "Good always defeats evil."
Good always defeats evil.
Very happy for @DustinPoirier I hope you will get the belt end of the year
The tweet didn't sit well with Conor, who lashed out at his rival, commenting on Khabib's late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Although Conor later deleted the tweet, it was evident that he had taken things too far.
Conor McGregor appears to make disparaging remarks about the death of Khabib’s father .
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away last year due to COVID - 19 complications.
*Tweet has since been deleted * https://t.co/7l5jJbfRo5
Khabib opened up about the incident on Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson. Speaking to Mike Tyson and Henry Cejudo, he said:
"When [Conor] talked about this, only evil can talk about your father, wife, kids, religion. If you’re normal human, you’re never going to talk about this stuff."
Watch Khabib talk about Conor on the podcast here: