5 times Conor McGregor freaked out at UFC fighters on social media
Conor McGregor is known to be loud-mouthed and isn't afraid to insult his opponents, on and off social media, while calling them foul names. Ever since he made a mark in the UFC, his on-camera feuds with fellow UFC fighters have been well documented.
However, 'The Notorious' is also game for calling out his rivals on social media. Conor McGregor is as skilled in ripping apart his opponents' lives on the internet as he is inside the octagon. The man does it with unparalleled ease and all it takes is a keypad.
Here are five times when Conor McGregor absolutely destroyed UFC fighters with his social media offensives.
#5 - Conor McGregor vs Justin Gaethje
After submitting Conor McGregor at UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to defeat Dustin Poirier in September 2019. Having watched the main event at UFC 242, McGregor asked for a rematch on social media against Khabib in Moscow.
Justin Gaethje, who was next in line to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, called out Conor McGregor's social media offensive, finding it ridiculous. He called McGregor a "sh*t human, father, husband." The Notorious One was irked.
Conor McGregor snapped back at Justin Gaethje on social media, calling Khabib a "man who hugs legs," while also telling Gaethje that he was "fu--ing dead." Going on one of his signature social media offensives, Conor said:
"Justin, there is no danger in a man that hugs legs, we all know. Try and dance around what the real threat is here all you want. I am going to fucking butcher you. Your teeth. I’m going to put them on a fucking necklace. Speak on my skills as a father? You are fucking dead."
#4 - Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz goes a long way back to 2016. It is deemed as one of the most fiery rivalry episodes in UFC. While the duo had not exchanged heated words for a while since the outcome of UFC 202, that changed in March 2021.
Responding to a news piece reporting that Nate Diaz was partying on a yacht in Cabo, Conor McGregor went on a rant on social media. McGregor insulted Nate Diaz, saying the Stockton-native could only afford a boat.
Soon Nate Diaz clapped back at Conor, starting a classic episode of the Irishman's 'Notorious' social media smack-talking.
With Conor McGregor not backing down in the verbal spat, Nate Diaz simply responded, "You suck." Replying to the tweet, McGregor not only had the last word in the social media war, but also emerged as the winner of the round,.
#3 - Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov started in 2016, with Khabib stating that Conor didn't deserve the UFC lightweight title bout against Eddie Alvarez.
While any sort of heated exchange was almost absent between the two till 2017, it changed with the first sunrise of 2018. Conor McGregor attacked Khabib Nurmagomedov on social media after The Eagle's win against Edson Barbosa.
Commenting on Khabib and Barbosa's performances, McGregor tweeted: "That Dagestani was dog sh*t the other night you's are all nuts. Game full of sloppy bums asking to be slept. Pay me my worth and Kings back."
Khabib replied by calling Conor McGregor a "tap-machine" and telling him to "shut up" before posting a picture of himself chasing McGregor on a bear. McGregor took another shot at the Dagestani fighter in a reply on social media. He said, "I slaughter your pets and wear them as coats. And I only wear them once."
Khabib gave the Irishman a witty reply, saying, "You can buy them on Gucci store; But in the octagon bear will eat you." The incident became famous among MMA fans as another classic Conor McGregor social media offensives.
#2 - Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov II
Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after his win against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. With The Eagle gone, hopes for continued episodes of rivalry between him and Conor McGregor also washed away.
Conor McGregor even bid The Eagle a respectful farewell on social media, saying he would "carry on" without him. However, the deeply-embedded notoriety in Conor McGregor never really let him carry on.
On March 21, 2021, in his response to another retirement confirmation, Conor McGregor took a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov on social media, reminding the Dagestani about his career inefficiencies. Calling Khabib a "teddy bear", Conor wrote: "8 ko/tko across 30 fights = zero power. Don't forget it teddy bear."
Another instance of Conor McGregor's social media offensives came just a few weeks later, again targeted at the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov. Conor recalled the incident from April 2018 when he had thrown a steel dolly at the UFC 223 bus carrying Khabib and other fighters from the event.
Although penalized for the offense, Conor McGregor said after the bus incident that Khabib Nurmagomedov hadn't come out of the bus as he was scared. This claim was contested by Khabib during the UFC 223 press conference.
The Notorious also referred to one of Khabib's tweets from 2014 where The Eagle had asked for a custom McGregor t-shirt. In an attempt to irk Khabib in his retirement, Conor McGregor tweeted: "Get this man a t shirt! And a nappy for the bus."
#1 - Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier
When Conor McGregor went for the rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, a lot of people, including Poirier, felt that The Notorious had died. In his place was a well-behaved man who engaged in niceties.
A few months after the fight, however, Conor McGregor corrected his image. With the McGregor vs Poirier trilogy in talks, McGregor returned to his old 'Mystic Mac' self, predicting fight outcomes.
The 32-year-old posted on his Instagram that he would defeat Poirier in round four. Conor wrote: "The prediction is in! I’m going to win the trilogy fight via A Front Kick to the nose. Round number 4. His Nose needs straightenin and I’m Rhinoplasty".
Dustin Poirier replied to Conor McGregor's social media offensive and claimed that just like the Irishman's prediction of making a donation to Poirier's foundation, his fight prediction would fail too.
While Conor McGregor explained why he did not make the donation, he also went on to insult Dustin Poirier, marking the complete revival of The Notorious.
Conor McGregor further announced that his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier was now off, with the Irishman planning to fight someone else.
In a paragraph of heavy insults aimed at The Diamond, McGregor tweeted: "You're ripped you inbred hillbilly. 500k with no plan in place. Ye hang tight. Fool. You must be new to money. The fight is off btw. I'm going to fight someone else on the 10th. Good luck on your old contract kid."
This outburst was in stark contrast to McGregor's previous behaviour. It was as if Conor knew he was better off reviving his 'Notorious' persona. We await confirmation of the fight being off. Until then, the trilogy remains in place.