Khabib Nurmagomedov has said he believes Conor McGregor has a “chance to come back” from the chaos of the last few years, in a surprising message to his bitter UFC rival.
McGregor has not fought since 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier, and the former champion’s past triumphs have been overshadowed by legal battles in recent years.
Last week, McGregor lost an appeal against the verdict of a civil rape case, in which a woman won a claim against him in November. The Irishman, 37, continues to deny the accusations against him.
McGregor has also expressed a desire to run for the presidency in Ireland, with many of his recent social-media posts proving divisive as he has explained his stance on immigration and other issues.
Yet Nurmagomedov, who retired unbeaten as the UFC lightweight champion in 2020, has said there is a way for McGregor to emerge from what has appeared to be a chaotic period in his life and career.
The Russian, who submitted McGregor in their 2018 title fight to end one of the bitterest rivalries in UFC history, discussed the matter at Tilles Center in New York on Sunday (3 August).
“I don’t want to mention his name,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is punishment, this is punishment. And he keeps doing this, keeps doing this, keeps doing this. Everything that happened [...] woman this, alcohol this, drugs, everything.”
Nurmagomedov was, in part, referring to McGregor's admission during his civil rape case that he had taken drugs, while the Russian elsewhere mentioned a 2019 incident in which the Irishman pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a bar.
“But the most beautiful part of this,” Nurmagomedov, 36, continued, “[is] Allah always gives for us – it doesn’t matter, anybody, everybody – a chance to come back. Always, in this world, a chance to come back.
“This is the most beautiful thing. It doesn’t matter how you’re bad, Allah is going to give you a chance to always come back. I think he has a chance, and he has to change the way how he’s living.
“Why am I talking about this? [...] If he’s going to change, he can change with him so many lives, too. And that’s why I wish him to change himself.”
The Independent approached McGregor’s representatives for comment on Nurmagomedov’s interview.
In the build-up to their 2018 fight, McGregor threw a dolly at the window of a bus in which Nurmagomedov and other UFC athletes were sitting. He was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief, then was further charged with menacing and reckless endangerment at his arraignment.
McGregor pleaded no contest to a count of disorderly conduct and was ordered to perform five days of community service and attend anger management classes.
The former two-weight champion recently re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool, as he targets a return to the mixed martial arts promotion.
He has expressed an interest in competing on a potential fight card at the White House, an event mentioned by US president Donald Trump in recent weeks. Trump, who attends UFC events semi-regularly, is a friend of UFC president Dana White.
