Khabib Nurmagomedov Savagely Responds To Conor McGregor’s Retirement
On Tuesday morning it was announced that UFC star Conor McGregor, who is known for not only enjoying a fight or two in the ring, but also outside of it, would be retiring from the sport. It’s the second time in recent years that the 30-year-old Irishman has decided to pack in the towel on his career.
While many were shocked to hear of the news, an old rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, took the opportunity to gloat that McGregor, with whom he was supposed to be organizing a rematch, had never beaten him. According to Fox Sports, Nurmagomedov is the last person to beat McGregor in the ring, and he’s now basking in that title following the retirement news.
Shortly after McGregor made his announcement on his Twitter account, Nurmagomedov responded with a simple and not-so-subtle message of his own via the social media platform.
“There can only be one king in the jungle. Only one.”
He accompanied the tweet with a photo of himself with the title belt glistening in bright gold on the table in front of him. McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s title fight took place in October last year at UFC 229, with the Russian thrashing McGregor for the spoils.
Of course, following the fight there was a nasty and rather public brawl, one that earned them both bans from the sport. It wasn’t even their first unsavory encounter. Earlier in the year, McGregor was brought up on charges after he threw a trolley at a bus Nurmagomedov was on with other fighters, an incident that was captured on video.
But with their bans soon to be lifted after serving their time, McGregor wanted another shot at the Russian in hopes of redeeming himself after the loss.
Honestly, Nurmagomedov seems quite pleased he won’t have to face McGregor again following the retirement news, and who can blame him with all the bad blood between them.
UFC boss Dana White also responded to McGregor’s news with a short message seemingly confirming it.
“He (McGregor) has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLING it,” he wrote. “It totally makes sense. If I was him I would retire too. He’s retiring from fighting. Not from working.”
He ended the message with a word of support and congratulations for all the success McGregor has enjoyed within the ring during his time as a UFC fighter.
“He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the Octagon as he was in it.”
As The Inquisitr previously reported, it’s not the first time McGregor has announced his retirement. The first one came back in April 2016. It lasted only four months before the hot-tempered Irishman was back in the ring. For those hoping to see a McGregor-Nurmagomedov fight, all might not be lost if this retirement sticks as long as his last.
