Connor made you famous. https://t.co/88ycFRkTCf
— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma)
January 3, 2025
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s recent comments have reignited the mixed martial arts rivalry between Dagestan and Ireland.
The feud between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is undoubtedly one of the most memorable in the history of the sport. McGregor’s compatriot Paul Hughes (13-1) will defeat Khabib’s cousin Usman in the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai on January 25th at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. He will challenge Nurmagomedov (18-0) for the lightweight title. United Arab Emirates.
In a recent interview with current Bellator owner PFL, Nurmagomedov downplayed the Irishman’s importance in comparison to Dagestanis. According to the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion, Irish MMA is not even half as good as Dagestan’s MMA.
“Eagle” further emphasized his comments in a tweet, declaring that Dagestan MMA is better than any other country in the world.
You can say what you want, but if we are talking about facts, you cannot compare Irish fighters with Dagestan fighters. We have a dominant position in amateur MMA, but compared to not only Irish fighters but the whole world, we are nowhere near that. I’m absolutely sure of that.
— Khabib Nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib)
January 3, 2025
“You can say whatever you want, but if you’re talking about facts, you can’t compare Irish fighters to Dagestan fighters,” Nurmagomedov said. “We dominate amateur MMA, but that’s not just compared to Irish fighters, but the whole world. If we organize team-on-team fights, Dagestan will beat the world team in amateur MMA. And when it comes to professional MMA, every major league has champions, contenders, and ranked fighters in the top three MMA promotions right now. Here are some Irish fighters who are contenders for the title. At most, I might be able to name one or two fighters.”
In response to Nurmagomedov’s comments, Hughes said it was thanks to McGregor that the Dagestani achieved stardom. Hughes also brought up that Usman failed a drug test in 2023 and was suspended for six months.
Dagestan number 1 with juice burata💉
pic.twitter.com/ff82h3Q6ko
— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma)
January 3, 2025
McGregor also appeared to criticize the Dagestani fighters for their lack of showmanship, repeatedly “tweeting and deleting” them.
“And all of you who suck at not being able to stand your ground for years. That’s disgusting, look now. You take exactly what’s there for you, not things.” You deserve nothing, you traitors. We call the yellow teeth. Pea brain in a cage. Panache = zero. Creativity = poop. Everywhere = fart. It’s embarrassing. ”
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov go back and forth about whether Ireland or Dagestan is better in MMA. 🇮🇪🇷🇺🔥 pic.twitter.com/badIljIUlA
— MMA.PROS.PICK (@MMAPROSPICK)
January 4, 2025
