UFC’s own ‘Notorious’ is making a comeback to the octagon and amidst the buzz, former accusations of steroid use have again been put under the spotlight. Conor McGregor is not one to back down, especially when the accusation comes from the Dagestani clan. Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s manager Ali Abdelaziz called him out for his drug use on Twitter earlier, prompting the Irishman to hit back.
Islam Makhachev is ranked no. 1 in the latest UFC pond-for-pound rankings, a long way from his 2014 debut. However, ‘Notorious’ is not a big fan of the lightweight champion and took to Twitter to let his thoughts known about Makhachev with a caustic tweet.
Conor McGregor takes a dig at Islam Makhachev
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McGregor’s rivalry with Nurmagomedov is well-known to all MMA enthusiasts. During the build-up to their UFC 229 fight, McGregor had insulted Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, family, coaches, religion, and country. Nurmagomedov, of course, proceeded to destroy McGregor in their fight. So it is no surprise that the ‘Mystic Mac’ will come after Nurmagomedov’s protege.
More than two weeks after his win at UFC 294, Islam Makhachev is now ranked number 1 pound-for-pound in the UFC 👑 pic.twitter.com/5TR15Irt7S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 7, 2023
Makhachev‘s recent advent to the top ranks fetched a quick reaction from McGregor. He posted a picture from Makhachev’s second UFC fight, when the Dagestani had lost to Adriano Martins, back in 2015. ‘Mac’ made fun of this KO loss, and pointed out that Makhachev tested positive for meldonium after the fight.
“Ko’d unconscious and caught on steroids. MMA’s current p4p no1. What a sport (laughing emoji),” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. Clearly, there is no love lost between the Irishman and the Nurmagomedov team, as their recent interaction suggests.
This was not the only time McGregor took the metaphorical below-the-belt shots at the Dagestani clan. After McGregor’s upset loss against Distin Porier, Nurmagomedov tweeted “Good always defeats evil.” This provoked McGregor to take a dig at Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s death, in a now-deleted tweet stating, “Covid is good and father is evil?” But this wasn’t the first time McGregor has crossed a line and his recent escapade only proves that it will certainly not be the last. And now, the Dagestani clan doesn’t hold back when it comes to calling out their nemesis.
Ali Abdelaziz celebrates by calling out “Cr*ckhead” McGregor
Makhachev’s manager is clearly and deservingly happy that his client and lightweight champion is now the p4p king. This means two of his clients, both Dagestanis have made it to the top, and surely he is doing something right. He announced this on Twitter in the best way possible- by insulting Conor McGregor and calling him a drug addict.
Abdelaziz posted a picture of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev holding their belts with “2 PoundForPound Kings from Dagestan” as the caption. He took a shot at the former Cage Warrior and UFC two-division champion, rubbing their accomplishment in his face. “@TheNotoriousMMA hey crackhead how do you like this,” the manager tweeted.
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@TheNotoriousMMA hey crackhead how do you like this pic.twitter.com/yMiPYqn5AG
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) November 7, 2023
This comes weeks after Abdelaziz replied to McGregor’s tweet where the Irishman compared himself to Muhammad Ali. The Egyptian gave him a reality check and called him a “one-round fighter”.
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As McGregor is geared up for his return to the octagon, some such as Makhachev’s friend and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier have suggested a fight between McGregor and Makhachev. While all agreed the fight would not be very competitive, it would make both men a lot of money and boost Makhachev’s profile. Who’s your money on?
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