Khabib Nurmagomedov sends a message to Conor McGregor after the Irishman claimed he only counts KOs as wins
Khabib Nurmagomedov is glad that he sent Conor McGregor "to the deep ocean" during their UFC 229 encounter.
The former UFC lightweight great said that nothing can outmatch the feeling of doing that to your opponents and eventually forcing them to tap.
Nurmagomedov's latest comments come in the wake of McGregor's claim that he doesn't consider submissions and decisions as "wins." In his book, finishing your opponents with a knockout is the only pathway to victory.
When ESPN MMA uploaded a post to their Instagram highlighting the Irishman's remarks, Nurmagomedov wrote in the comment section:
"There is nothing better in this sport than bring your opponent to the deep ocean, let them know what they're about, and let them tap."
Below is a screenshot of Nurmagomedov's comment:
19 of McGregor's 22 wins have come by way of knockouts. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov has eight knockout wins under his belt.
'The Notorious' appeared in a slew of interviews earlier today ahead of his UFC 264 fight with Dustin Poirier and the 32-year-old consistently targeted the Dagestani.
Conor McGregor also claimed that Nurmagomedov "scurried away like a rat" and criticized his decision to retire from the sport.
"I don't really give a f**k about that guy (Nurmagomedov), to be honest with you. I mean, he ran, he's gone. What did he do? He didn't do f**k all in the sport, in my opinion. Three wins on the trot before that he pulled out and everything. Had a little run and dipped out, showed his true character. It's not like I wasn't surprised, he scurried away like the little rat that he is. So I'm not even concerned," Conor McGregor told BT Sport's Ariel Helwani.
What happened when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov collided at UFC 229?
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered the fiercest rivalry in UFC history.
In the lead-up to their highly-anticipated clash, the two lightweights had engaged in a series of altercations, including one where McGregor threw a dolly at a bus in which Nurmagomedov was traveling.
They finally met inside the octagon in October 2018 at UFC 229. 'The Eagle' successfully took Conor McGregor down early in the first round and dominated the majority of the fight.
There is a strong argument in the MMA community that 'The Notorious' won the third round, arguably the only round that Nurmagomedov lost in the UFC.
However, in the fourth frame, the 32-year-old Russian submitted his arch rival. Nurmagomedov defended his title on two more occasions against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.