Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor face off before UFC 229 bout. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares just what all was at stake in his UFC 229 bout against Conor McGregor
It is well over 2 years when Khabib Nurmagomedov took on Conor McGregor inside the octagon at UFC 229.
The fight one of the most fiery build-ups in the history of the sport. ‘The Notorious One’ left no stone unturned in his quest to play mind games with the Russian.
The Irishman consistently overstepped his boundaries and disrespected Nurmagomedov’s family and religion. Karma came back to bite him as ‘The Eagle’ soared victoriously at the end of the day inside the octagon.
And speaking to Esquire (Middle East) than 2 years after that fight, Khabib revealed just what was riding on that match for him. While he may not have shown it on his face, he said his whole career depended on it.
“It was a great joy, because to some people, they thought that McGregor could not lose. A lot had been said, a lot. My whole career depended on this fight, and…when I won, it was as if a mountain fell from my shoulders. I don’t think it can be described in a few words. I wish everyone could feel for himself what that is like.”
And probably more than defending his UFC lightweight title, Khabib would have enjoyed showing McGregor that the real talking happens inside the octagon.
He said that McGregor’s words did not affect him before the fight. While we may not be totally inclined towards believing that, he certainly let the trash talk affect his composure in the fight.
“I just ignored it [the trash talk from McGregor] and showed inside the Octagon that you can’t just wag your tongue, but you have to prove it with your body, which my opponent could not do.”
Nurmagomedov is now retired from the sport and does not look like making a return to the sport. McGregor, meanwhile, recently lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and is now preparing for a trilogy fight with ‘The Diamond’.
While both went different ways in their careers after that fight, there is always that minuscule chance that we may get to see them back inside the octagon once again.
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