Ben Askren believes Conor McGregor is "jealous" of Khabib Nurmagomedov - "No money can make up for that"
Conor McGregor's attacks on Khabib Nurmagomedov are, according to Ben Askren, due to the Irishman's supposed jealousy of the Dagestani due to the latter's status as a highly revered UFC champion. It is an interesting talking point from 'Funky,' who has, since retiring from MMA, become something of an analyst.
On the latest episode of his Funky and the Champ podcast with Daniel Cormier, the former 170-pounder explained his position. It is his belief that McGregor, despite all of his financial success, does not command the respect of his peers in the manner that Nurmagomedov does.
"He'll never not do [trash-talk Nurmagomedov] that, ever. He's going to be 80 years old attacking Khabib. Because he's jealous, of course."
When probed by Cormier for his reasoning, Askren further explained why he believes the McGregor-Nurmagomedov feud is rooted in the Irishman's supposed envy of his rival.
"He's got all the money in the world, [but] deep down in his heart, what he wanted to be was the most respected fighting champion on planet Earth. No money can make up for that. That's what Khabib is. Khabib is a fighting champion that everyone has a deep amount of respect for because of the way he lived his life and Conor wishes he had that much respect for himself."
Check out Ben Askren's thoughts on Conor McGregor's feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov (8:19 and 8:37):
McGregor recently hit out against Nurmagomedov over the Dagestani legend's alleged tax evasion crisis. In doing so, he reignited his rhetoric that 'The Eagle' fled from MMA to avoid what McGregor believes is an inevitable loss.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have been feuding for years
Conor McGregor never misses an opportunity to insult Khabib Nurmagomedov, with whom he shared the octagon at UFC 229, the promotion's highest-selling pay-per-view of all time. Their enmity stems mainly from Nurmagomedov's hotel lobby confrontation with the Irishman's then close friend, Artem Lobov.
Lobov had made disparaging comments about Nurmagomedov as a fighter in a past interview, with which Nurmagomedov took issue. He confronted Lobov in a hotel lobby, surrounding him with his entourage and slapping him. Footage of the entire incident was shared on social media, infuriating McGrgeor.
Check out Conor McGregor attacking the bus Khabib Nurmagomedov was on:
Enraged, the Irishman boarded a private jet and flew to New York, perpetrating an infamous attack on the UFC 223 fighter bus, which Nurmagomedov was on. This was, in some way, repeated by Nurmagomedov, who, after beating McGregor at UFC 229, jumped out of the octagon to brawl with his rival's cornermen.