Umar Nurmagomedov hits back at Conor McGregor's "steroid" jibes, accuses Irish UFC star of "running away from USADA"
Umar Nurmagomedov has not competed in nearly a year, with his last appearance coming at UFC Fight Night 217 in January 2023, where he knocked out Raoni Barcelos in the first round.
The No.14-ranked bantamweight recently revealed that he is ready to fight but has been unable to find an opponent, tweeting:
"I often get accused of long lay offs in between my fights, but it’s not always up to me. I'm ready to fight on February 17th or March 9th, but not 1 single fighter in my division wants to fight me 🤷🏻♂️"
His tweet led to a response from Conor McGregor, who has a long-standing feud with his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov. Referencing to his younger brother Usman Nurmagomedov's recent suspension, McGregor tweeted:
"Your younger brother popped for steroids. That's 4 now out of your family caught on steroids while fighting."
Check out the tweets from Umar Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor below:
'Young Eagle' responded two days later, accusing 'The Notorious' of running from USADA:
"The one who runs away from USADA is talking. Shut your mouth old fart"
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's tweet below:
Nurmagomedov is not the first fighter to accuse McGregor of avoiding USADA. The former double champ has not competed since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021. While he has healed, he did not return in 2023, and the UFC parted ways with USADA ahead of his 2024 return. 'The Notorious' is reportedly set to return to the octagon during International Fight Week on June 29.
Ali Abdelaziz claims it is harder to find an opponent for Umar Nurmagomedov than Khabib Nurmagomedov
Ali Abdelaziz has managed some of the biggest stars in the UFC, including Khabib Nurmagomedov. Abdelaziz recently claimed that finding an opponent for Umar Nurmagomedov is harder than it was for 'The Eagle', tweeting:
"@UNmgdv so much harder to get a fight then even Khabib I’ve been in this game over two years. I never seen this before."
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's tweet on finding an opponent for Umar Nurmagomedov below:
Despite spending much of the past year consistently calling out every top-ranked bantamweight, Nurmagomedov competed just once in 2023, appearing on the first card of the year. While he did have a bout with Cory Sandhagen scheduled at UFC on ESPN 50 in August, the No.14-ranked bantamweight was forced to withdraw after suffering a shoulder injury in July.