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. Was ‘The Notorious’s recent debacle in the Nikita Hand case one such moment? Seems so, because McGregor’s arch-rival Khabib’s camp is not going to drop the occasion to throw jabs at McGregor. Looking at that, it seems Ben Askren’s previous prediction of the heated relationship between the two could not have been more correct.

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 had said, “He’s going to be 80 years old attacking Khabib because he’s jealous, of course.” Well, can not deny that the feud might go on for many more years to come. Look how McGregor had attacked Khabib just months back.

McGregor took a shot at ‘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. So with the verdict of the Nikita Hand case, Team Khabib has got the ammunition to further the verbal war.

To add insult to McGregor’s injury, Khabib, Islam Makhachev, and their manager Ali Abdelaziz came all guns blazing after the former ‘champ champ’ after the verdict. Just days back, Khabib reshared an X post by an X user ‘convictmcgregor’ that read, “The convict project will donate towards the legal fees of the victims of Convict McGregor. Support the movement.” The undefeated Dagestani wrote, “Good job guys , you have my full support, this guy deserve punishment.” His teammate, Islam Makhachev, was even more direct.

Sharing a post by ESPN, Islam wrote, “It was a matter of time till this filthy b*****d be exposed. Alcoholic, dr*g junkie + ra**st. Many more facts to come out, trust me!” Meanwhile, Khabib’s former manager Ali Abdelaziz joined in with a tacit warning.

McGregor had responded to Paul Hughes’ invitation to be in his corner for his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov, in which he will attempt to take the Bellator FC lightweight title from him in Dubai on January 25. After the verdict, Ali, with an X post asked Hughes to avoid bringing McGregor. “Hope Paul Hughes doesn’t try to bring McGregor with him to Dubai, it won’t be a good look for him and he and probably his whole team will be deported,” he wrote. If these were not enough, one more fighter who is indebted to Khabib has also joined the bandwagon.

Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, whose training under Khabib helped him win the championship battle against Leon Edwards, said nothing but just reshared a 2019 tweet from Khabib. In the tweet Khabib had predicted, “Justice will find you. We will see.” For the unversed, this is the same tweet Khabib posted back when the accusations against Conor McGregor first surfaced. There is probably one more thing that Askren pointed out in his May 2024 conversation, which itch McGregor.

“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,” Askern had said. Well, there is plenty of room for conversation on this. In the UFC landscape, with all the money and glitz McGregor is colorful, indeed. But hasn’t that also acted negatively for him?

“Conor self-destructed in a lot of ways because of money. He took that fight with Floyd Mayweather, made a ton of money off that, and then took a long time before he came back to MMA, and he’s just not been the same guy since,” Joe Rogan had said in episode #2232 of the JRE podcast. “And I think that’s just … it’s money, it’s a lot of partying, but it’s the same kind of thing. It’s just a wild (change). But when Conor was in his prime, he was a f*****g assassin.” Notably, Khabib sits on a diagonally opposite pole.

MMA coach Eric Nicksick shared a rare glimpse into Khabib’s training routine that speaks volumes about how different his nature is from McGregor. “There’s no music, there’s no bullsh**ting, they’re not there to talk with one another and joke around, and it’s you’re there, and it’s work from the moment you step on the mat until the moment you’re off the mat,” Nicksick had said about watching Khabib in practice, as per Red Corner MMA.

This insight offers a rare look into the mindset of a champion who left the sport at the top, and it’s a stark reminder that greatness demands unwavering commitment. On the other hand, with the Nikita Hand case, McGregor looks to be falling short of the respect he vies for. Not only he is being condemned by the UFC community but he was also kicked out of his business campaigns. 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.

Interestingly, 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.

Team Khabib member 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.