Conor McGregor‘s rise in the UFC was as much about his trash-talking as it was about his fighting skills. From his early days in the promotion, McGregor’s sharp tongue set him apart, earning him attention long before his championship wins. His ability to mentally break opponents with witty, often brash remarks became his trademark.

McGregor’s infamous “We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over” line and his relentless verbal assaults helped build his brand. His trash-talking, paired with his knockout power, catapulted him to superstardom in the UFC. While the Dubliner has a lot of fans around the world for this particular skill, it seems he never impressed a former MMA fighter mainly because of his trash-talking.

Fedor Emelianenko once shared his honest opinion on Conor McGregor

Fedor Emelianenko is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, known for his dominance as a heavyweight. Back in 2019, while gearing up for his fight against Ryan Bader at the Bellator Grand Prix final in California, ‘The Last Emperor’ issued a warning about the growing trend of toxic insults being popularised by ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.

The usually reserved heavyweight called on promotions to establish clear boundaries for trash talk, highlighting that insults targeting a fighter’s country or family should be off-limits. Emelianenko reaffirmed his view that his fellow countryman, Khabib Nurmagomedov, shouldn’t have reacted the way he did after submitting Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their UFC lightweight title fight at UFC 229 in 2018. Following the victory, Khabib climbed over the cage and charged at Dillon Danis, who was a member of McGregor’s team at the time. The reporter asked him, “What is your overall attitude towards Khabib – as a person and as an athlete?” 

He was quick to reply, “As a person, I don’t know him much. We met and talked a little, and I got the impression of a cultured, positive fighter. As an athlete, he’s in the UFC, that’s a high level.” The reporter then asked him about the former dual-champion Conor McGregor, “What about Conor McGregor? Do you like what he’s doing? ” The former champion without any hesitation said, “Personally, I don’t. I guess he needs to watch his mouth”.

He was recently in the news for mocking the welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 310. ‘Remember the Name’ was present in the arena to witness the clash between two of the best talents in the division. After Rakhmonov won the fight he called in the champion to have a friendly face-off, he was stopped by the security, and in stepped McGregor on X (formerly Twitter) to once again share his brand of vitriol.

Conor McGregor mocks Belal Muhammad after embarrassment at UFC 310

What makes McGregor’s trash-talking so effective is his unpredictability and precision. He doesn’t rely on the typical insults; instead, he often mixes personal jabs with a charismatic, showman-like flair. This is exactly what he did while speaking about Muhammad’s hiccup at UFC 310. The pair have had their share of problems in the past after the champion’s fighting style has been criticized by the Dubliner. But this time McGregor enjoyed the entire scenario and left no stone unturned in mocking the champion.

Belal Muhammad appeared unfazed by the security team’s failure to recognize his championship status. However, he faced an even louder challenge—a chorus of boos from the crowd—while standing toe-to-toe with the Kazakh phenom.

The Dubliner took the opportunity to remind the welterweight champion of what exactly happened. In his voice note, he said, “The security doesn’t know he is the champ. I am not surprised m———er . He is an a—-le. Shut your mouth, you really got yourself into the ring and they don’t even know you are the champion.” McGregor is currently facing a lot of problems outside the Octagon. However, one just cannot deny the fact that the former dual-champion is indeed an entertainer.

What do you feel about Conor McGregor’s talking skills? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.