Conor McGregor admits to ‘partying heavily’ before Khabib Nurmagomedov loss in scathing review of rival’s UFC career

Jul 9, 2026 - 20:30

Conor McGregor has torn apart Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC career, slamming his former foe for having ‘no courage.’

McGregor, who returns to fighting this weekend at UFC 329, shared a bitter rivalry with Nurmagomedov that was settled when he submitted to the Russian in October 2018.

A graphic of Conor McGregor alongside Max Holloway ahead of their UFC 329 clas — McGregor returns to MMA for the first time since July 2021 to fight Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329

The fight was the highest-selling pay-per-view card in UFC history, and tensions boiled after the clash when members of both men’s entourages flooded the Octagon to incite a nasty brawl.

Speaking to Complex ahead of his comeback fight against Max Holloway in Las Vegas on Saturday, McGregor was asked where Nurmagomedov features among the greatest UFC fighters of all time.

Not happy with Nurmagomedov being ranked in the top three, McGregor seized the opportunity to fire several shots at his old rival, giving him zero credit for his accomplishments.

McGregor: Nurmagomedov has no courage

“Come on, the guy did nothing in the sport,” the 37-year-old said.

“13 fights he’s had in the company, that’s it. And three against ‘name’ opponents.

“He had a fight against me… I was off the yacht! I was doing bad things on a yacht.

“I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this.

“I hadn’t fought in two years. I was worth $200million and I come back and fight this f****** guy.

“I did four rounds with him. I had a broken toe — I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show where I broke my f****** foot three weeks before the bout.

“[Nurmagomedov is] nothing. Then where is he now, also? He’s gone.

Conor McGregor being submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 — Nurmagomedov forced McGregor to tap out with a rear naked choke in the fourth round of the lightweight title clash

“So I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain and it is a damn shame.

“I have nothing to say to him, nothing to say about him. I don’t rate him.”

He continued: “[Nurmagomedov] never fought, missed weight, never fought above weight divisions.

“Three fights, no stoppages, no knockouts. Come on. How many knockouts has he got? F****** three or four?

“You must be mad if I’m going to waste my f****** time watching this s***.

“His first half of his work was fighting in his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere in wherever they’re from.

Conor McGregor poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on July 8, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada — McGregor returns to the welterweight division for his fight against Holloway and plans to become the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion down the line

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“He’s like 12-0, the opponent he’s fighting is 0-0. 0-0! This isn’t boxing. I don’t rate him.”

McGregor even placed Nurmagomedov’s protege, Islam Makhachev, on a higher pedestal due to the latter’s ‘body of work’ and for becoming a two-division UFC champion.

Makhachev, who is one win away from having the longest win streak in UFC history, is the current welterweight champion and defends his crown against Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in August.

He is also the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound star and a fighter McGregor has admitted he would love to get his hands on to become the company’s first-ever three-weight champion.