When Conor McGregor couldn't resist but take a dig at Khabib Nurmagomedov and family after cousin Umar withdrew from UFC Nashville
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have never seen eye-to-eye, and the former has not allowed their former rivalry to die.
McGregor has never turned down an opportunity to condemn his former opponent, including incidents that do not directly involve the 29-0 UFC Hall of Famer. When Nurmagomedov's younger cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, withdrew from his UFC Nashville main event bout with Cory Sandhagen in August 2023, McGregor took another shot at 'The Eagle' and his family.
In a tweet that has since been deleted, McGregor reacted to the news by writing:
"It's a family thing"
Though Nurmagomedov did not pull out of any intended matchup with McGregor, the Dagestani did have nine canceled fights in the UFC, six of which were caused by his withdrawal due to injury. Of the champion's nine canceled fights, five were from his infamous pairing with Tony Ferguson.
Since Umar signed with the UFC in 2020, the bantamweight has had five matchups canceled, including three ahead of his intended promotional debut. Of the eight total cancellations in his career, three were caused by 'The Young Eagle' withdrawing from a matchup.
Following his UFC Vegas 87 win over Bekzat Almakhan, Umar spoke about his frustration with fan discussions regarding the canceled fights in his career.
Conor McGregor gloats about his impact on boxing shortly after Jake Paul's knockout of Ryan Bourland
Few were impressed with Jake Paul's knockout of Ryan Bourland on March 2, but Conor McGregor took the chance to bask in the glory of his combat sports career legacy.
Less than two hours after Paul's ninth career win, McGregor retweeted a fan post reflecting on the impact his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. had on the sport of boxing. The tweet claimed McGregor 'single-handedly changed boxing forever' and caused the beginning of influencer fighting.
While the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight had an undoubtedly profound impact on the sport, the statements in the tweet are not completely true.
With a long history, celebrity boxing goes as far back as 1979 when the first recorded bout featured Muhammad Ali and NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado fighting in an exhibition. Since then, a brief television show titled 'Celebrity Boxing' aired on the FOX network in a 2002 project that ultimately failed.