The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the few that helped boost UFC’s popularity in the fighting community. The kind of heat that emanated from the friction between the former champions was nothing short of phenomenal. About 6 years after the event, the rivalry still remains one of the hot topics in conversations, and now we have more on the same as the referee in charge of the fight, Herb Dean, has also opened up about the altercation.

Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor with a splendid rear naked choke. But right after Dean concluded the match after the ‘Mystic Mac’ tapped out, ‘The Eagle’ jumped off the fence and launched an attack on the Irishman’s teammates. It was all chaos as fists began to fly and a fight turned into an all-out brawl. While the referee did try his best to resolve the scuffle within the Octagon, he was forced to give up when things escalated. 

Reflecting back on the 6-year-old event in a conversation with Quinton Jackson on the JAXXON podcast, Dean said, “Okay, so he, you know, he’s holding on to the choke. I get him to let go. He, you know, he’s still on him. I’m kind of standing in between them. And then he’s like, all of a sudden he’s over there talking to somebody else and at somebody else. And then, once it started, I mean, at first I tried to… I think I probably tried to chase him to try to keep him from going out or something. But then once it got to that point, I’m like, This is beyond my job. This is everybody else’s job now. My job is done.”

That was when ‘Rampage’ vouched for Dean’s grappling skills. After all, the duo trained together. But Dean was pretty humble. He knew that even though Nurmagomedov was smaller than him, he had the capability to seriously damage him. He even gave Daniel Cormier, a former heavyweight champion, a tough time with his wrestling skills. There was simply no way, Dean could have intervened. 

When Jackson commented that Dean was pretty good with Jiu-Jitsu, the referee said, “I’m alright. But I couldn’t be able to do anything with Khabib. I heard his feet are like hands.” He then proceeded to mimic gripping and climbing with his hands. 

The entire fighting community has often wondered why Nurmagomedov, the fighter who has often displayed a calm demeanor before his fights, unleashed hell upon his opponent’s team. Let’s see what the former undefeated lightweight champ and his coach had to say about it. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov reflects on the post-fight brawl with Conor McGregor’s team

After the heat settled, Nurmagomedov, being the humble guy that he usually is, later apologized to the fight fans and the NSAC for his behavior. He admitted, “This is not my best side.”  However, he didn’t back down from defending his case. ‘The Eagle’ continued, “But he talked about my religion, my country, my father. He came to Brooklyn, broke a bus, and nearly killed two people. So why are people still talking about me jumping over the cage?”

Even the head coach of AKA gym, Javier Mendez, was surprised by Nurmagomedov’s act. However, he also revealed that the former Dagestani champion had bad blood with Dillon Danis and his teammate. Mendez said, “Khabib was mad at the corner of Conor Camp but none of us guys would talk to the counter guys. I don’t recall you know. Khabib was yeah of course. He had an issue with Dillon Danis and you know Conor.” 

While many rivalries die down after some time, this one still goes on with the same intensity as it did half a decade ago. ‘The Notorious’ still lashes out at ‘The Eagle’ from time to time, and the Dagestani responds with even more heat. What are your thoughts about the brawl between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov? Do you think any other rivalry in the UFC would be able to surpass the heat that Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor produced? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.