Conor McGregor was respectful when reports emerged that rival Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father had been put in a medically induced coma at a Moscow hospital as he battled Covid-19. The former UFC double champ said he was “praying for the recovery” of 57-year-old Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov last month. But McGregor has changed his tone after being baited by one of Khabib’s cousins. Welterweight fighter Abubakar Nurmagomedov mocked the Irishman’s submission defeat by Khabib in October 2018, posting a picture of McGregor gasping for air as the UFC lightweight champ pinned him against the cage fence. “When it’s coronavirus and you can’t breathe,” wrote Abubakar in the caption. McGregor, who claims he is retired from MMA, responded in the comments: “I figured it was all just a cover-up about Abdulmanap. A cover-up to hide the lack of activity and the pulling out of fights and running away. Good luck but remember – Allah sees all!” The 31-year-old McGregor later deleted the comment. Jorge Masvidal slams Abdelaziz over UFC 4 cover claims Khabib had been set to defend his title at UFC 249 on April 18 against Tony Ferguson before the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic scuppered the Brooklyn event. “The Eagle” returned to Russia and then became stranded in lockdown, ruling him out of fighting Ferguson at the rescheduled show in Jacksonville, Florida on May 9. He gave an update on the status of his father, who was airlifted from their native Dagestan to Moscow when his condition worsened, in an Instagram post this week. “He’s still in serious condition. He’s still in intensive care. He did beat the virus but it harmed his kidney and heart. So he’s still in serious condition,” Khabib told Russian media. View this post on Instagram Это когда коронавирус и ты дышать не можешь. A post shared by Абубакар Нурмагомедов (@abubakar_nurmagomedov) on Jun 23, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT “They allow me to visit him every day for half an hour. He looks at me. I held his hand and I asked him if he recognises me. He nod his head. He couldn’t speak but he showed me that he recognises me. “When I visit him I always tell him, ‘Father, I’ve trained this morning and evening. I train every day, I’m in good shape’. I tell him everything I do, and I see a smile on his face. “Training helps me with the stress, helps me to get distracted. It loosens me up, so I’m training every day. I think we’ll return in the autumn and we’ll defend our title.” Khabib is set to next fight interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje, who stunned Ferguson via fifth-round TKO in the rescheduled UFC 249 main event.