'You cannot protect him'… Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals chilling ringside message he left Dana White ahead of infamous Conor McGregor fight

08/27/2024 09:54 AM

Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed that he tried to send a terrifying message to Dana White before his most famous win.

The legendary lightweight champion faced his great rival Conor McGregor in October of 2018, with the largest pay-per-view audience in UFC history tuning in. The pair had a bitter feud that had even spilled outside of the cage, with the Irishman spending a night behind bars after attacking his rival’s bus.

And just moments before the pair competed in the biggest UFC fight of all time, Nurmagomedov attempted to send a message to the promotional boss.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s chilling ringside message to Dana White at UFC 229

For years, Khabib Nurmagomedov had been pushing to fight Conor McGregor, branding him an ‘Irish chicken’. He even goaded the Irishman’s teammate Artem Lobov, which led to him coming to Brooklyn with a crew of friends and attacking a bus where the Russian was sitting.

Despite the heat around the fight and McGregor spending time behind bars for the incident, the bout was made and ended up becoming the highest-selling in promotional history. Nurmagomedov won by fourth round submission after a dominant outing, and the pair have never settled their feud since.

"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 told 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, talk."

Khabib Nurmagomedov wanted to ‘bite someone’s heart’ in infamous post-fight brawl

Following his victory, after being peeled off a submitted McGregor, Nurmagomedov appeared not to be finished with the fight. He immediately made his way out of the octagon and went after cornerman Dillon Danis, who is one of the most infamous trash talkers in MMA.

"It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling… I really wanted to bite someone's heart," Nurmagomedov continued. "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… When the promotion promotes this fight, they have to expect something. 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."

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