Khabib Nurmagomedov pays surprise compliment to Ireland despite bitter Conor McGregor feud
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Khabib Nurmagomedov interrupted his cousin’s post-fight speech by praising Ireland.
UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov has had plenty of bad blood with Ireland and Conor McGregor during and after his fighting career. But after his cousin Usman squeaked out a win over Paul Hughes at PFL Champions Series: Dubai, Khabib made sure to put the past tensions into perspective.
Usman defeated Hughes by majority decision, despite an early point deduction, to retain his lightweight title at PFL Champions Series: Dubai. He remains undefeated in his MMA career and could potentially be on his last legs with PFL before possibly entertaining an offer from the UFC brass.
Khabib’s rivalry with McGregor and Ireland is well-documented. Years after their UFC 229 fight, in which Khabib earned a submission victory, blood continues to boil between Dagestan, Ireland, and the two UFC greats.
But after some recent harshness towards Ireland’s fighters and Hughes, Khabib pivoted on his earlier stances inside the PFL SmartCage.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov interrupts cousin’s post-fight interview with Ireland praise
During Usman’s post-fight interview with Dan Hardy, Khabib hijacked the microphone to pay a huge compliment to Ireland after the instant classic PFL main event.
“I know this is not my time to talk, I just want to say one thing,” Khabib began. “With all the things between me and [Conor McGregor] when we were fighting. Don’t forget, Ireland is the biggest supporter in the world for Palestine. Don’t forget about this. We love you guys! You, your government, everybody.
“When we’re inside the cage, it’s only competition. MMA, all about respect. We love you guys because you guys support our brother[s] in Palestine.”
Palestine and Israel have been at war for more than a year with no clear end in sight. Ireland has been a haven for Palestinians attempting to leave the war-torn region.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland beef hits a turning point
Khabib submitted McGregor at UFC 229 to hand the former two-division world champion his second UFC defeat. He went on to defeat Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier before retiring following his last UFC lightweight title defense at UFC 254.
In contrast, McGregor took the opposite approach in his reaction to Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes, ripping Team Khabib as ‘not fighters’ in a social media rant. He was originally invited by Hughes to corner him for the Nurmagomedov fight but McGregor didn’t show up at the event.
Usman’s win at PFL Dubai caps off a busy month for Khabib’s coaching career. He cornered Islam Makhachev to a first-round win at UFC 311 as his other cousin, Umar, suffered his first career defeat on the same card.
The animosity between Khabib and McGregor will likely never deteriorate, but Khabib’s post-fight remarks show there’s an opening for mutual respect between Dagestan and Ireland.
