The mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has expressed his desire to see his former rival, Conor McGregor, take a new direction in his life. Nurmagomedov, 36, defeated McGregor in 2018 in one of the most intense rivalries in UFC history. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor with a neck crank, and subsequently jumped out of the octagon to continue a fight with McGregor’s team. Nurmagomedov retired undefeated in 2020. McGregor, with a record of 1-2 in the UFC after his fight with Nurmagomedov, has faced various legal problems, including a civil lawsuit for sexual assault in 2024.
Nurmagomedov believes it’s not too late for McGregor to change his lifestyle. The fighter expressed his wishes during an interview in New York.This is a punishment, [but] the most beautiful thing about this is that Allah always gives the opportunity to return. I think he has a chance. He has to change his way of living.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Why am I talking about this? If he is going to change, he can change many other lives with him too. That’s why I wish him to change himself. If he is not going to change, it will be a punishment all his life.
Khabib NurmagomedovThese statements contrast with Nurmagomedov’s comments about McGregor in the years following their rivalry, during which McGregor made offensive comments about Nurmagomedov’s personal life. In 2019, Nurmagomedov said: “It will never end. Even if we see each other somewhere, we will fight, 100%. It doesn’t matter if someone goes to jail or something like that.” McGregor hasn’t fought since he suffered a leg fracture during a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. However, the 37-year-old fighter has recently rejoined the UFC’s mandatory testing pool, in preparation for a possible return.
