CONOR MCGREGOR reignited his bitter feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov moments after seeing his rival’s protege claim UFC gold.
Nurmagomedov’s long-time friend and training partner Islam Makhachev followed in his footsteps on Saturday night by claiming the lightweight title at UFC 280.
Islam Makhachev claimed the lightweight title at UFC 280 on Saturday night
The Dagestani claimed the belt courtesy of a second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira
Former two-division champ Conor McGregor was one of the many interested observers
The Notorious went on a huge tirade following Makhachev’s title win
The Dagestani destroyer got his hands on the 155lb belt with a stunning second-round submission of former champion Charles Oliveira.
Former two-division champ McGregor was among several interested observers of the fight and made a reference to Nurmagomedov’s late father and Makhachev’s old head coach – Abdulmanap – after watching it.
He said: “I have the system to hurt this style of fighting, guys, I’m telling you.
“Bro is a s**t jocks. Fat mouth, shut your mouth. You done nothing tonight except git against father’s wishes and run.
“It’s not father’s plan completed yet, pal. You know. Your people know and they talk about you.”
McGregor’s mentioning of “father’s plan” is in direct reference to the late Abdulmanap’s vision for Makhachev to claim the lightweight throne after Khabib.
MMA mogul McGregor was, however, impressed by the dominant display turned in by Makhachev.
He said: “Nice fight, nice performance. I have built all the tools to beat this style now vs B4.
“Experience vs s**t. Face-breaking shots from the clinch and baby-brain batter shots from the bottom.
“And the rest of my repertoire yous now. Steel left leg. Cannon back hand. Wrist control.”
Although he’s a million miles away from a crack at Makhachev’s lightweight title, the No.12-ranked McGregor is relishing a potential showdown with the Dagestani.
He said: “The thought of shutting down this system of fighting with my own developed systems is quite intriguing to me.
“Whoever of them against. It’s not personal, it’s a skill evaluation and a fight. Even through generations.
“The IMAAFS, amateurs. A war of attrition. To the box.”
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since suffering a horrific broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July.
A return to the octagon in early 2023 was expected for The Notorious, although UFC president Dana White has revealed he won’t be back in action until April at the earliest as he’s currently out of the USADA drug testing pool.
