Khabib Nurmagomedov on post-fight brawl after beating Conor McGregor: 'I really wanted to bite someone's heart'

08/26/2024 12:00 PM

Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the coldest, most calculating fighters whenever he was competing in the UFC, but the buildup to his showdown against Conor McGregor had him ready for blood.

The intense rivalry between the lightweights culminated at UFC 229 in 2018 when Nurmagomedov dominated the majority of the fight before submitting McGregor with a rear-naked choke/neck crank in the fourth round. Even leading up to the fight, Nurmagomedov was seething with anger and just waiting for the chance to get his hands on McGregor after months of ugly trash talk that included insults aimed at him and his family.

It turns out, Nurmagomedov even had a message for UFC CEO Dana White just before the action started.

"It was like we just signed the contract, and it was like I prayed to God, just close the cage and me and him be alone," Nurmagomedov revealed on the Inspire Me podcast. "This is what I really, really wanted at this time. Because you never know, someone can get injured, something can happen. You never know. I was preparing for this fight and I was waiting for this moment. I was very happy.

"I remember when I come inside the cage, when the cage closed, I remember I looked at Dana [White] and I said 'today, you cannot protect him.' Dana asked me what? I said today, you cannot protect him. He didn't hear me, it's OK after the fight [we'll] talk."

Nurmagomedov ultimately made his dream come true after he nearly scored a knockout against McGregor on the feet before eventually locking in the fight ending submission in the fourth round. McGregor famously told him afterwards that it was just business but Nurmagomedov obviously felt it was much more personal.

In fact, Nurmagomedov barely had time to celebrate before he leapt out of the cage to go after McGregor's coaches and teammates, who also got involved in the trash talk leading up to the fight. The brawl erupted in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with security and police swarming the scene to break up the melee before things ended up spilling into the crowd.

Looking back now, Nurmagomedov says he just had some unfinished business he had to settle when choking out McGregor just didn't seem like it was enough.

"It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling — I really wanted to bite someone's heart," Nurmagomedov said. "Do you have that feeling in your life? I just tried to bite his heart.

"Maybe you can feel this. I am 'The Eagle,' and when the eagle is hungry, it's not good. He has to hunt. That's why."

The post-fight brawl obviously didn't make White very happy but Nurmagomedov felt like the UFC had to know that volatile situation was just a powder keg waiting to explode.

The UFC used every incident between Nurmagomedov and McGregor to build up the fight so the undefeated Russian was just following through on the promises he made when it came to his disdain towards the former two-division champion.

"When the promotion promotes this fight, they have to expect something," Nurmagomedov said. "When they know me, when they know all my team, when they know we don't play. We compete, we don't play. You cannot play MMA. You can play soccer. You can play American football, you can play hockey. But you cannot play MMA. You have to fight. This is a fighting game.

"A lot of people said it was a very strange or weird or something like this but it was my decision."

Following that fight against McGregor in 2018, Nurmagomedov ultimately only fought twice more before calling it a career in 2020 after promising his mother that he would hang up his gloves for good.

Of course that hasn't stopped McGregor from constantly jabbing at Nurmagomedov through interviews or social media as he continuously tries to goad his former opponent into a comeback.

The unfortunate news for McGregor is that his trash talk is apparently falling on deaf ears now because Nurmagomedov doesn't pay attention to any of it.

"I feel like what happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas," Nurmagomedov joked when addressing his rivalry with McGregor. "I just don't think about this.

"It was so many moments in my life happened for a reason. It was not my plan. This happened, it happened. I just don't think about this. A lot of people remind me about this situation, but my mind is different in other ways."