'Why does he hate Khabib Nurmagomedov so much?… MMA legend can't get his head around why Conor McGregor is still angry at his old opponent

07/08/2024 20:09

While almost six years have passed since Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 229, it appears the Irishman despises his rival just as much as he did at the time. And one MMA icon can’t get his head around why the hatred is still there.

The pair of sporting titans have gone down in the history books with possibly the greatest feud the sport of mixed martial arts has ever seen.

Ben Askren is confused as to why Conor McGregor ‘hates’ Khabib Nurmagomedov

Prior to their fight, in front of a packed house at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor gave the world an incredible build-up.

From ‘The Notorious’ launching a dolly through a bus window, to an undeniably eventful press conference, the icons delivered in abundance.

When they eventually met in the cage, the Russian produced a flawless performance, ragdolling his opponent with ease, en route to securing a fourth-round neck crank.

But while the official contest was over, the fighting had just begun. Khabib launched himself over the cage and engaged in a brawl with the Dubliner’s team, creating one of the most memorable moments in UFC history.

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Thus, while the match-up itself wasn’t overly competitive, it whetted the appetite for a potential rematch. Regardless, the pair never faced off again. But that hasn’t stopped McGregor from firing shots at his nemesis at every possible opportunity.

Donald Trump recently referred to Khabib as his ‘favorite fighter’, which sent the Irish phenom into meltdown, and Ben Askren can’t understand why.

During an appearance on Daniel Cormier’sYouTube channel, ‘Funky’ said: “Why does he hate Khabib so much? I mean, Donald Trump just goes off the cuff and says Khabib’s his favorite fighter, which is hilarious. I figured honestly, it would be like a Conor Mcgregor—a showy flashman that has some fancy knockouts.”

‘DC’ replied: “It p***ed Conor off. Why?” Baffled, Askren summarized: “I don’t know, why does he hate Khabib so much? I know you got your a** beat, Conor, but let it go. He said, ‘Trump’s going to lose the election because of it’.”

In disbelief, Cormier laughed: “No, he didn’t.”

Utterly convinced, Askren asserted: “I’m going to find the tweet right now. He said something like, ‘the election is going to be very close, campaign-ending decision’.”

Chael Sonnen reveals why he thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor 2, never happened

After the Dagestani secured the victory, Dana White would’ve loved nothing more than to have made an enormous second fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor and generated a lot of money in the process.

But for one reason or another, the second encounter he so desperately wanted to make, never came to fruition.

And now, Chael Sonnen has opened up about why he believes MMA enthusiasts around the globe never got the opportunity to see the legends settle their differences once and for all.

According to ‘The American Gangster’, the UFC President made one vital error.

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