UFC 257: Khabib mocks Conor McGregor after Dustin Poirier loss, hints at staying retired
- Retired UFC lightweight champ goads former rival after shock second-round TKO by Dustin Poirier
- UFC president Dana White admits prospect of Nurmagomedov returning ‘doesn’t sound very positive’ now
Khabib Nurmagomedov was quick to stick the boot in to Conor McGregor after the Irishman’s shock TKO at the hands of Dustin Poirier.
Former two-weight champ McGregor was a heavy favourite with Las Vegas bookies by was dropped by “The Diamond” (27-6, one no contest) and finished at 2:32 of the second round on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
McGregor (22-5) said he will “take my licks” after the disappointment, in a gracious Octagon interview, but his former rival wasn’t ready to forget their bad blood.
“This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality,” Nurmagomedov tweeted.
Nurmagomedov (29-0), who submitted “The Notorious” via fourth-round choke in October 2018, had told UFC president Dana White he was waiting to see if either McGregor or Poirier impressed him on Sunday, before committing to a return to the Octagon.
“The Eagle” announced his retirement last October, after putting No 1-ranked Justin Gaethje (22-3) to sleep.
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“I did talk to Khabib,” White said at the post-event press conference.
“And he said to me, ‘Dana, be honest with yourself. I’m so many levels above these guys, I beat these guys’. I don’t know. But it doesn’t sound very positive. We’ll see.”
The 32-year-old Nurmagomedov of Russia later hinted that he would now commit to his decision to retire, seemingly unimpressed by what he saw from McGregor.
“You can like him or hate, but you have to respect him,” he wrote in a post on Instagram, alongside a picture of himself and White.
“This guy build this sport @ufc. Thank you for everything @danawhite I have so much respect for you.”
