Yahoo Sports Khabib Nurmagomedov to Conor McGregor: Deleted tweets about father show ‘how dirty you are’
Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Conor McGregor’s recently deleted tweets about his deceased father further shined light on who he really is.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was caught up in another controversy this past week when he took a shot at Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap, calling him “evil” and COVID-19 “good” after he passed away from complications from the virus in July 2020.
The tweets were in response to a comment from Nurmagomedov, who said “good always defeats evil” after McGregor suffered a broken leg in his first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Nurmagomedov offered his thoughts on the situation during an interview on the “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast released Wednesday. He thinks McGregor further exposed himself as a “dirty” person.
“When he talked about this, only evil can talk about your father, wife, kids, religion,” Nurmagomedov said. “If you’re normal human, you’re never going to talk about this stuff. For me, I think he post this tweet (while) drunk too much or (he was doing) something. Then the next day, he always delete these tweets. When he become normal life (he looks at his phone) and says, ‘Oh, look what I did.’ Then he delete. This is my opinion what he do all the time.
“When someone is not with us – he is not even alive – this shows what you have inside. This shows how dirty you are. When you one of the best in the world and you come and you punch someone who is like 70 years old, like an old man (in a pub), this shows your heart. This shows who you are inside, how dirty you are. When you have parents and you have kids, how can you show yourself like this? I don’t understand why his close people don’t go, ‘Hey, what’s going on?'”
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov at the end of their UFC 229 fight. (Associated Press)
Nurmagomedov elaborated that he thinks McGregor’s actions are spilling over from issues in his personal life. He’s unsure if change is possible, too, because he doesn’t see McGregor as someone who has the right people around him.
“When you become rich, when you become famous, some people they lose real people around them,” Nurmagomedov said. “They lose them. Real people who love you, they’re going to tell you the truth. But fake people? They always say, ‘You’re good.’ They never say to you nothing because they don’t want to upset you because they know they’ll lose this comfortable spot. Real people, they don’t care about this. They were with you before you became famous and rich. They don’t care about your money. They just love you. I think he lose a lot of people around him. I don’t think he have people who were with him before when he become champion. Everybody needs someone who reminds you, ‘This is good, this is bad.'”
Related
Conor McGregor 'still in recovery,' rejects September date for wheelchair charity boxing match
Daniel Cormier immediately called Khabib Nurmagomedov after Conor McGregor 'crossed the line' in deleted tweet
Joe Rogan explains why he interviewed Conor McGregor after UFC 264
The rivalry between Nurmagomedov and McGregor dates back prior to the buildup to their UFC 229 lightweight title fight in October 2018, which “The Eagle” won by fourth-round submission. It’s one of the most personal feuds in combat sports history, and it’s clear there are still deep-seated issues between the two sides.
Nurmagomedov said he doesn’t let any of it bother him, though. He believes his composure and strong-mindset played a major role in his successful fighting career, and it will continue to be a trait that gives him the upper hand over McGregor no matter what the Irishman does while Nurmagomedov enjoys retirement.
“I think one of the biggest reasons why I become champion, is this is about my mental part,” Nurmagomedov said. “How I can control my emotions. I think I can control anything. Anything happens with me in the world, I can control this. I can handle this.”
