UFC 254: Conor McGregor congratulates retiring Khabib Nurmagomedov, but vows ‘I will carry on’
- Irishman lauds his heated rival’s ‘good performance’ in second-round submission win vs Justin Gaethje
- Former champ McGregor’s reported January bout with Dustin Poirier could now be for vacant lightweight title
The tributes to retiring UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov came flooding in after his masterful second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje – including from heated rival Conor McGregor.
Nurmagomedov (29-0) made a shock announcement in the Octagon after Saturday night’s victory on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi that he was walking away from MMA.
“I want to say it was my last fight, and no way I’m gonna come here without my father,” said the 32-year-old. His father and coach Abdulmanap died in July aged 57 because of complications stemming from contracting the coronavirus.
“Good performance @TeamKhabib. I will carry on,” former featherweight and lightweight champ McGregor (22-4) wrote on Twitter.
The Dagestan-native submitted the Irishman with a fourth-round choke at UFC 229 in October 2018, in a grudge match that spilled outside the Octagon.
