Did Khabib Nurmagomedov succeed in his aim to humble Conor McGregor?

Yes. It would appear as though Khabib Nurmagomedov succeeded in his aim to humble Conor McGregor. 

The assertion above has been made by certain sections of the combat sports community.

Alternatively, some fans and experts are still of the opinion that Conor McGregor hasn’t changed, isn’t humble, and is still the fighter whom Khabib Nurmagomedov often referred to as arrogant and cocky.

Nevertheless, many in the MMA world and the broader sports-entertainment world have been pleasantly surprised by Conor McGregor’s humble persona in the lead-up to UFC 257.

The history between Khabib and Conor McGregor

Before Conor McGregor won the UFC featherweight title in December 2015, McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were on cordial terms. McGregor fought in the UFC featherweight division, whereas Nurmagomedov fought at lightweight.

Their respectful relationship drastically changed after McGregor won the UFC featherweight title and then moved up and captured the UFC lightweight title. McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov eventually began taking jibes at one another. And these jibes quickly escalated into extremely personal insults that involved sensitive topics like family, religion, nation, etc.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor finally faced off inside the octagon at UFC 229 on October 6th, 2018. Nurmagomedov bested McGregor via fourth-round submission. The Eagle and his team then attacked McGregor and McGregor’s team, resulting in mass brawls breaking out throughout the arena and on the streets of Las Vegas.

This recap brings us to perhaps the most important point of our discussion.

No. Khabib Nurmagomedov has not succeeded in his aim to humble Conor McGregor. 

Confused? Don’t be. I’ll explain why.

Conor McGregor continues taking shots at Khabib Nurmagomedov

Since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, Conor McGregor competed only once, defeating Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone via first-round TKO in January 2020. McGregor was incredibly respectful before and after the fight with Cerrone.

Furthermore, Conor McGregor has also been very respectful and humble towards Dustin Poirier, just like he was against Cerrone. McGregor clashes with Poirier at UFC 257, and as I write this, I genuinely believe that this fight could go either way. McGregor and Poirier are brilliant combat sportspersons and are more than capable of beating one another.

Regardless, one of the biggest things about Conor McGregor’s humble approach in the buildup to UFC 257 is something that most of us aren’t talking about.

Conor McGregor has strongly asserted that the war between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov is far from over. The Notorious One has targeted Khabib Nurmagomedov in multiple interviews and accused him of being scared of a potential rematch.

So, that begs the question: Has Khabib Nurmagomedov humbled Conor McGregor?

Yours truly believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov failed in his aim to humble Conor McGregor. 

What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

Published 24 Jan 2021, 05:19 IST