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Jonathan White

Conor McGregor will fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas on Saturday night – and whatever Mystic Mac may have lost in the past two years, it is not his ability to trash talk.
The 30-year-old would not call it that, though.
As he told Esquire in 2015: “Trash talk? Smack talk? This is an American term that makes me laugh. I simply speak the truth. I’m an Irishman.”
McGregor’s commercial appeal clearly hasn’t waned, either – his long-awaited return to the Octagon sold out in three minutes when 20,000 tickets for the MGM Grand went on sale in August.
And “Notorious” proved he remains master of the pre-fight press conference to the point where Nurmagomedov has promised to make him pay for “what he has said”.
So what exactly has he said?

"I hate to do this..."

"But Conor McGregor is very, very Ali-like"

UFC boss @danawhite compares Conor McGregor to the great Muhammad Ali when it comes to getting eyes on what he's doing #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/2PI7ifq6XC
— Watch #UFC229: Khabib v McGregor live on BT Sport (@btsportufc) 3 October 2018

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

“I’d say you’re some buzz at parties. You mad backwards ****. You’re dead when I get my hands on you, you hear me? You’re f****** dead.”
McGregor to Nurmagomedov during the UFC 229 press conference in New York City after the teetotal Muslim refused McGregor’s offer of a shot of whiskey.
“I don’t care about rattling him from a verbal stand point, I care about rattling him with my fist and the many other weapons in my arsenal. Rattle this, rattle that, I don’t care I’m gonna rattle his brain on October 6.”
McGregor to ESPN host Ariel Helwani of his plans for the lightweight champion.

I would like to apologise...to absolutely nobody!"

Conor McGregor's incredible journey to the top of the fight game gives us chills

Hold tight, the rollercoaster isn't over yet. #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/jQWaeCloIs
— Watch #UFC229: Khabib v McGregor live on BT Sport (@btsportufc) 1 October 2018

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

“I see him turning into a bobblehead when I hit him. I feel his brain is going to rattle when he gets a clatter off me. That’s what I’m keeping in my head.”
McGregor told his website, The Mac Life.


“I came back for the love of this, to come and shut this man up. A little rat, a little weasel, a little hard man in groups. I’ve met many of them through my years. A man who grows in numbers but on his own when confronted in a similar situation cowers away. I came back for the love of fighting and the love of war. I am going to truly, truly love putting a bad, bad beating on this glass-jawed rat.”
McGregor pulled no punches at the UFC 229 press conference.

I slaughter your pets and wear them as coats. And I only wear them once. https://t.co/5IMAc3ysgN
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) 2 January 2018

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

“Fan boy! The man was a fan boy. He bought T-shirts of mine. Remember that, you little fan boy b****.”
More from the pre-fight press conference.
“I believe he’s a man with a glass chin that hasn’t been cracked yet. It’s been cracked a little bit, but not by a sniper rifle.”
McGregor to Helwani.


“He has a glass jaw. My Chechen friends, the Vainakhy soldiers, they told me that they have chicken jaws in Dagestan and I believe them because I know a glass jaw when I see one.”
More from the press conference.
“I slaughter your pets and wear them as coats. And I only wear them once.”
McGregor to Khabib on Twitter.


Not content with calling out Khabib, McGregor also took aim at the Dagestani’s father and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
“I can see you. Cowering behind fake respect. Just like your middle child. A quivering coward.”
McGregor on Instagram, along with a picture of Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
“Shut your mouth, Ali Abdelaziz! Mad terrorist. Terrorist snitch. I know a lot about you as well, you mad rat! You keep your mouth shut, kid. Let me take my picture. How’s Noah? How’s Noah? Huh? Yeah. Shut your mouth!”
McGregor calls out FBI informant and Khabib’s manager Abdelaziz about a son he reportedly owed child support for.


Mystic Mac’s UFC 229 war of words compare with some of his better verbal volleys of fights past.
“There are two things I really like to do and that is whoop ass and look good. I’m doing one of them right now and on Saturday night, I’m doing the other.”
McGregor ahead of his August 2013 fight with Max Holloway in Boston. McGregor won by unanimous decision.
“He’s a quiet, little hillbilly from the back arse of nowhere. His cousin is probably named Cletus.”
McGregor on Dustin Poirier before they fought at UFC 178. The Irishman won by KO in the first round.


“He cannot finish his dinner, let alone an opponent.”
Ahead of UFC 189 when he was meant to fight Jose Aldo, who pulled out of the fight with a broken rib. McGregor fought Chad Mendes and won.
“I own this town, I own Rio de Janeiro, so for him to say that he is the king and I am the joker, if this was a different time, I would invade his favela on horseback, and would kill anyone who wasn’t fit to work. But we’re in a new time, so I’ll whoop his ass instead.”
Again before UFC 189. He would instead whoop Aldo’s backside at UFC 194 in December 2015, knocking him out in 13 seconds.


“I feel [the fans] are going to see something they haven’t seen before. I’m going to toy with this man. I will rearrange his facial structure. His wife and kids won’t recognise him again. His friends will know he’s not the same after this contest … You’re never, ever going to be the same. Your kids are going to beg ‘Daddy, please don’t go again!’”
McGregor warns Eddie Alvarez ahead of November 2016’s UFC 205 bout. Alvarez was KO’d in round two.


“I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster, I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, I’d like to take this chance to apologise ... to absolutely nobody!”
After that fight, his last in UFC until Saturday’s showdown in Las Vegas, McGregor was defiant.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

McGregor vs Khabib: Conor’s most Notorious quotes ahead of UFC 229 war with Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor speaks to the media during the UFC 229 press conference. Photo: AFP

Conor McGregor press conference for UFC 229 gets raucous with whiskey and words of warning for Khabib Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor shares his Irish whiskey with UFC president Dana White during the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Photo: AFP

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov faces-off with Conor McGregor during the UFC 229 Press Conference at Radio City Music Hall on September 20, 2018 in New York City. Steven Ryan/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Sep 20, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Conor McGregor with belts during a press conference for UFC 229 at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

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Irishman still talking the talk with sniper rifles, glass jaws and rats among the barbs ahead of the ‘biggest ever fight in UFC’ in Las Vegas this weekend


Irishman still talking the talk with sniper rifles, glass jaws and rats among the barbs ahead of the ‘biggest ever fight in UFC’ in Las Vegas this weekend.


McGregor vs Khabib: Conor’s most Notorious quotes ahead of UFC 229 war with Nurmagomedov

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Irishman still talking the talk with sniper rifles, glass jaws and rats among the barbs ahead of the ‘biggest ever fight in UFC’ in Las Vegas this weekend

Irishman still talking the talk with sniper rifles, glass jaws and rats among the barbs ahead of the ‘biggest ever fight in UFC’ in Las Vegas this weekend