Even after almost 7 years of clashing against each other in the Octagon, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov can’t seem to bury the hatchet. While ‘The Eagle’ takes subtle jibes at the Irishman, ‘The Notorious’ unleashes all hell and drags himself to controversial lands because of his reaction to people praising Nurmagomedov. And that’s exactly what happened when one of the former Dagestani champ’s fans shouted, “Let’s go Khabib!” Well, it did end up with McGregor spitting in the fan’s face and pushing him, saying, “I spit in your face. What you do? Nothing!” While the fan stayed quiet, the netizens lashed out at the Irishman. And former Strikeforce champion, Josh Thomson, joined the charade. 

Thomson, on ‘Weighing-In,’ revealed that the fight at UFC 229 was the one thing that brought out the negative in McGregor’s life. He said, “He’s taken a shift. He’s the heel, and he’s always kind of been the heel, but people also admired him and looked up to him before. The Khabib fight really brought a negative out of him. I felt like he was afraid of Khabib.” 

Well, Nurmagomedov was indeed a threat to ‘Mystic Mac’. It was a perfect striker vs. grappler bout, and it’s oftentimes the grappler who wins. But that doesn’t mean McGregor wouldn’t have planned the bout before. Thomson continued, “He knew there was a legitimate threat, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing he thought for sure, ‘If I can catch him, I can knock him out sure’, but I think he knew that in a five-round fight, it was going to be very difficult.” 

And the things he said about Nurmagomedov’s family and homeland were simply something that people couldn’t easily forget. He said, “The things that came out of his mouth and the things he talked about and said about Khabib’s country, his dad, his village and his wife — unforgivable.”

The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagomedov was what pushed UFC to great heights. But that also affected the relationships they had with others. For now, let’s take a look at how the rivalry asked Daniel Cormier to change his behavior towards Conor McGregor. 

Daniel Cormier once revealed the reason why Conor McGregor and Nurmagomedov can’t tolerate each other

During a conversation with Ben Askren on the set of ‘Funky and the Champ,’ Cormier revealed, “He just hates Khabib. He hates him. … They are not letting it go. It’s deep-rooted, but it’s deep-rooted on both sides, honestly. (Nuragomedov) doesn’t like this guy, bro. They don’t like each other. This is crazy. It really is. It’s deep. It’s very deep.”

There was a time when Khabib Nurmagomedov was a fan of ‘Mystic Mac’. But those days are long gone. Now, their rivalry has affected their friends, as well. McGregor leaves no chance to attack the Nurmagomedovs. On the other hand, the Dagestani team never forgets to lash back at the Irishman. But where does DC stand in the rivalry? 

In an episode of 3 Rounds, back in November 2024, Cormier recounted the time when he met McGregor in Abu Dhabi, probably during UFC 257 fight week. It was a time when DC and McGregor were cordial with each other. But Nurmagomedov seemed to have problems with that. DC recalled, “We were shaking hands, talking a little bit, and very kind of chummy. And Khabib was like, ‘Brother, I don’t understand this!’ If I see Conor with his wife, I’ll shake his hand, because that’s what you’re supposed to do. ‘But brother?’… Look at the stance he’s taken in regards to everyone you deal with, why wouldn’t you take that same stance? So things have changed now… Honestly, Khabib’s not just a teammate, he’s family.”

Needless to say, the rivalry between ‘The Notorious’ and ‘The Eagle’ is one of those that never really end. The hateful things that McGregor goes on saying about the Dagestanis and Nurmagomedov responding to those comments have now become a trend in the fighting community. But the Irishman spitting on a supporter of Nurmagomedov was something no one could have anticipated.

What are your thoughts on McGregor’s act? How do you think the former UFC double champion should have handled the situation? Let us know what you think in the debate section below.