The world of mixed martial is filled with heated rivalries and scuffles. But only a handful of rivalries come close to the attention that Khabib Nurmagomedov and all of friction with Conor McGregor accumulated. The fire in the feud was so strong that it continued to burn bright, even though it has been 6 years since the two fought each other at UFC 229. It was indeed a proud moment for Nurmagomedov to have defeated McGregor with an impressive rear naked choke. 

But the fight against ‘The Notorious’ was not one of his best moments in the MMA promotion. Instead, ‘The Eagle’ put UFC 242 as a moment of higher importance to his life. 

Late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov made UFC 242 special for Khabib Nurmagomedov 

Back in 2021, the former undefeated UFC lightweight champion appeared in an interview with Adam Catterall, on the ‘Inspire Me Podcast’. On the 26th of August, the video resurfaced as the channel released it once again on YouTube. During the interview, Catterall pointed out that the former champion’s father, the legendary Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, was allowed to be in his son’s corner for the fight against Dustin Poirier. A smile crawled into Nurmagomedov’s face when the interviewer asked him if that was the best moment he had in the UFC.

Without wasting a single moment, ‘The Eagle’ affirmed that it was indeed the best time of his life at the MMA promotion. And of course, the reason was his father’s presence. The Dagestani fighter said, “I think it was my best time because my father was with me, all my training camp, when I cut weight, when I was backstage before I go to the cage, when you go to the cage, come out… Everywhere, my father was with me, you know. And it was best time in UFC for me. And I remember, all the time, all action, what happened very close to the cage. It was very close to father, like in my corner, you know.” 

Needless to say, the credit for Nurmagomedov’s undefeated spree goes to his late father. After all, he was the one who taught ‘The Eagle’ the discipline one needed to excel in martial arts. But fighting ‘The Diamond’ at UFC 242 was also filled with some funny moments for the former champ, as well. He narrated, “And it was very funny moments, like, when like, first time I take him down, I take his back, I try to choke him, but I cannot, and father told me like, ‘do this, do this. Like change your hips, change your leg.’” 

But when Nurmagomedov tried to choke Poirier and he escaped, he told his father that his opponent was pretty slippery. But he received a stern response from him and ordered to focus on his opponent instead of talking to his corner. “It was very funny moments, you know,” the Dagestani recalled.

But when the conversation shifted towards ‘The Notorious’, Nurmagomedov revealed how angry he was during UFC 229. Let’s see what the former champ had to say.

‘The Eagle’ reveals his feelings during the fight against ‘The Notorious’

As the conversation with Catterall continued, the duo stumbled upon Nurmagomedov’s rivalry with McGregor. The entire MMA world is aware of the heat that emanated from the fighters during those days. Right after the fight, NJurmagomedov even displayed a moment of immense rage in the arena. He revealed how he felt while standing inside the Octagon, and facing McGregor in the opposite corner.

Nurmagomedov said, “I remember when I come inside the cage, when the cage closed, I remember I looked at Dana and I said, ‘Today, you cannot protect [Conor McGregor].’ Dana asked me what? I said, ‘Today, you cannot protect him.’ He didn’t hear me, it’s okay after the fight we’ll talk… It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling – I really wanted to bite someone’s heart. Do you have that feeling in your life? I just tried to bite his heart.”

This rage was reflected when ‘The Eagle’ jumped out of the Octagon and entered a brawl with the Irishman’s team. He simply wasn’t content with the ‘Mystic Mac’ tapping out that easily. He attacked Dillon Danis, while two other men from the Dagestani team went in for a piece of McGregor. Before the situation could escalate any further, the security forces intervened. It was indeed a rare moment that showcased Nurmagomedov’s raw power and wrath.

What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s best UFC moment? Do you think it should have been UFC 229 instead? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.