Conor McGregor has seldom stepped back from taking a jibe at Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team. Even though the two took their differences to the Octagon about 6 years ago, their rivalry still boils at high temperatures, waiting for the perfect moment to explode. However, there are hidden emotions behind McGregor’s diss at the Dagestani team. And according to Ben Askren, it’s all because of envy.

Talking to Daniel Cormier on the Daniel Cormier TV back in May 2024, Askren weighed in on the ‘Mystic Mac’s habit of dissing the Dagestani team. When DC pointed out that McGregor had once again taken a jibe at Nurmagomedov, Askren commented that the trend would go on forever. He said, “He’s going to be 80 years old attacking Khabib.” This intrigued Cormier and the former IUFC contender said, “[It’s] because he’s jealous, of course.”

But was he sure? Askren continued, “No doubt in my mind at all. He’s got all the money in the world. Deep down in his heart, what he wanted to be was the most respected fighting champion on planet Earth.” That might have been the reason why McGregor attacked ‘The Eagle’ when the Dagestani got into trouble with the Russian government because of apparent tax evasion. In one of his tweets, the Irishman wrote, “broke and on the run if you see him tell him push ups for cash.” Another jibe read, “I heard he is now a porta potty in Dubai.” Of course, like Askren said, McGregor never left a chance to trash Nurmagomedov. 

Well, having lost the civil case against Nikita Hand and being found liable to pay for the damages, things indeed went spiraling down for the Irish mixed martial artist. The kind of accusations Hand put on McGregor, made the fighting community lose all respect for ‘The Notorious’. On top of that, he was kicked out of his business campaigns as well. Proper No. 12 wouldn’t be using McGregor in the advertisements. His character was removed from the popular game Hitman: World of Assassination. No doubt, the Dubliner craved the respect that ‘The Eagle’ commanded from the fanbase.

To add insult to injury, this gave the Dagestanis all the ammunition they needed to go after McGregor. Khabib, Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, and their manager Ali Abdelaziz were all among the ones who took shots at the former ‘champ champ’ after the verdict. So yes, McGregor could be going at them when he’s 80, and well, they could be going at him too.

While most of the Dagestani team members never spared a chance to throw stones at ‘Mystic Mac,’ there was one man who gave Conor McGregor the respect he deserved. Let’s see what Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate had to say.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate gives unexpected respect to Conor McGregor

Not too long ago, Javier Mendez, the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, and one of the Dagestani team’s coaches, weighed in on the matchup between McGregor and Islam Makhachev. With the Dubliner’s return being the hot topic of the MMA realm, many claimed that Makhachev would easily defeat the Irish fighter with his superior wrestling prowess. But Mendez was of a different opinion. He believed, “Conor would not be an easy (night’s) work for Islam because you have to respect the man. He’s got a lot of experience, and the only way you make it an easy night is because you train hard. But it will never be an easy night with a guy like Conor.”

But McGregor’s legal troubles seem to have spoiled everything fate had planned for the former double champion’s epic return. Even Daniel Cormier was greatly saddened by the turn of events. Taking to his YouTube channel, the former heavyweight champ said, “For a guy of that stature to come from our sport and be tied to something as bad as this, it really does suck. There are going to be some long-term effects from this.”

Nevertheless, McGregor didn’t give up and put forth an appeal to prove his innocence. But it didn’t take much time for the Irishman to send out an apology letter to his fanbase. No doubt, he has been desperately trying to earn his respect back. 

Do you agree with Askren that McGregor lashes out at Nurmagomedov just because of jealousy? Will the Irish star regain his stardom by proving himself innocent in the eyes of the court? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.