Khabib Nurmagomedov calls Conor McGregor an alcoholic and a rapist, reigniting an ugly UFC feud on Twitter
- Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have reignited their ugly feud on Twitter.
- The Irish striker told the Dagestan wrestler he'd see him in Moscow, calling him a "p----," to which Nurmagomedov replied saying the city does not welcome "rapists."
- The war of words follows a New York Times article published Saturday, in which it was said McGregor was facing a second sexual assault investigation in Dublin.
- It is not the first time their trash talk has escalated.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Conor McGregor told Khabib Nurmagomedov that he would see him in Moscow, calling him a "p----," to which the Dagestan wrestler replied on Twitter saying the city does not welcome "rapists."
The tweets reignite one of the UFC's ugliest feuds and follows a New York Times article published Saturday, in which it was said McGregor was facing a second sexual assault investigation in Dublin.
It all began when the UFC president Dana White told the Boston Globe that McGregor "isn't the man anymore."
White said Nurmagomedov, the lightweight champion, "is the man" and therefore the one who gets to call the shots in that division.
McGregor subtweeted White on Saturday, asking: "Who's not the man? Your man had that marquee event did he?" - a reference to his own landmark crossover boxing rules bout against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
McGregor then tried to ridicule Nurmagomedov's last fight, his UFC 242 victory over Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi last month. "More like an event in a marquee. A tent in the f------ sand it was."
The post sparked a series a tweets between McGregor and Nurmagomedov, as the Dagestan wrestler replied to McGregor to call him an alcoholic, according to a translation of the post by the state propaganda outlet, Russia Today.
"This is a fiasco, alky [alcoholic]," Nurmagomedov said.
The translation was also reported by the British tabloid the Mirror.
In Russian, McGregor reportedly said, "See you in Moscow, p----," according to RT and the Mirror.
To which Nurmagomedov responded by saying, "In Moscow they aren't waiting for rapists."
McGregor ended the communication by posting a photograph of himself apparently at a Russian Visa center.
It is not the first time their trash-talk has escalated
Nurmagomedov conclusively defeated McGregor by fourth round submission at UFC 229, last year. But the victory did nothing to end their rivalry, as Nurmagomedov refused to celebrate and instead jumped over the fence and charged at McGregor's cageside friend Dillon Danis.
While that was going on, members of Nurmagomedov's entourage invaded the Octagon and exchanged punches with McGregor. Nurmagomedov and McGregor were both subsequently slapped with suspensions.
They also engaged in another Twitter feud earlier this year, when McGregor tweeted then deleted a photograph of Nurmagomedov on his wedding day, calling his wife "a towel." Nurmagomedov responded by calling him a "rapist."
The UFC boss Dana White slammed the war of words, calling it "unacceptable."
Nurmagomedov later said McGregor was a "lowlife" who was loud on social media but silent when he gets punched in the face.
McGregor is desperate to fight Nurmagomedov again
McGregor has not won a UFC bout since 2016 but is desperate to rematch Nurmagomedov, according to White.
Neither fighter currently has an opponent lined up, though Nurmagomedov is supposedly set to return to the UFC Octagon in March or April next year, probably against Tony Ferguson.
McGregor, meanwhile, has been linked with a UFC return against the American wrestler Frankie Edgar.
Read more: