Brian Kelleher reveals why he asked Conor McGregor to corner him against Umar Nurmagomedov
Brian Kelleher has asked Conor McGregor to be in his corner for his upcoming fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin.
'Boom' recently took to Twitter to write:
"[Conor McGregor] Hey would you like to corner me in my next fight at UFC 272 against Khabibs cousin Umar"
Kelleher has now revealed where he got the idea of asking McGregor to corner him in his next bout from. Speaking to The AllStar, the UFC bantamweight said:
"I'm going to try to get Conor in my corner man. Let's stir the pot a little bit... You know what's funny, man? My friend, who has nothing to do with fighting, we were sitting and having coffee... He's like, 'Dude, you should tweet Conor right now and I'm telling you, he might respond because of the whole Khabib thing!' And Conor likes to stay in the limelight and I was like, you know what, let me throw it out there and see what happens."
Watch Brian Kelleher give the reasoning behind his tweet below:
The backstory behind Brian Kelleher's tweet stems from Conor McGregor's intense feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'The Notorious' indulged in one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history as he geared up to take on the Russian champion in 2018. McGregor verbally attacked Nurmagomedov in the lead-up to their fight at UFC 229, repeatedly insulting his family, country and religion.
'The Eagle' ended up choking out the former two-division champion on the night. Nevertheless, the intense hatred shared between the two icons exists to this day.
Brian Kelleher is scheduled to face Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 272. The 35-year old recently signed a new deal with the UFC and will look to improve his winning streak to three with another victory.
What happened in the brawl after Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor at UFC 229?
Khabib Nurmagomedov forced a tap from Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their UFC lightweight championship bout at UFC 229. Despite successfully retaining his belt, Nurmagomedov's rage wasn't extinguished.
Moments after the finish, 'The Eagle' jumped over the cage to attack Dillon Danis, who was in McGregor's corner. A brawl ensued, prompting on-duty police and security officials to intervene. Danis allegedly continued to insult the Russian after the choke which further instigated his anger.
While Nurmagomedov attacked McGregor's corner, his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov and teammate Zubaira Tukhugov jumped inside the octagon to attack the Irishman. Both fighters were later suspended for their involvement in the brawl.
Additionally, Nurmagomedov and McGregor received fines and suspensions in the aftermath of UFC 229.