Las Vegas: Asserting that provocations he faced from Conor McGregor were much worse than his conduct, Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov, Russian mixed martial artist of Avar descen, on Sunday said the Irishman had mocked his religion, his country and his father.
"I do not understand how people can talk about ‘I jumped from the cage.’” Nurmagomedov said.
“Worry about, he talked about my religion, he talked about my country, he talked about my father, he come to Brooklyn and he broke bus, he almost killed a couple people. Worry about this", Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov, often known simply as Khabib, said.
"Why people talk about ‘I jump over the cage?’ Why people still talk about this? I don’t understand", he added.
Khabib was talking to reporters after retaining his lightweight title with a dominant fourth-round submission win over McGregor at UFC 229.
UFC 229 Khabib vs McGregor was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on October 6, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Chaos erupted after the victory as the Russian Muslim fighter from Dagestan scaled the fence to attack a member of McGregor’s team, while two Nurmagomedov team members reportedly lashed out at the Irishman in the cage.
The run-up to the fight had seen the bad blood boil between the pair, with McGregor frequently taunting the Russian fighter in typcially belligerent fashion, even aiming a kick at him in the final face-off on Friday.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was also clearly bothered by McGregor’s comments in hyping the fight, which cut personally. McGregor, among other things, insulted the champion’s father and questioned his ties to Russian oligarchs and Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
Khabib also hinted at a belief the media is to blame for the escalating emphasis on trash talk in the mixed martial arts world.
“I want to say something, you know, people little bit, not people, I think it is media, media change MMA,” Khabib said.
“This is respect sport. This is not trash-talking sport. This is respect. I told you before, guys, I want to change this game. I don’t want people talk shit about, like, opponents, talk shit about his father, religion. You cannot talk about religion, you cannot talk about nation, guys, you cannot talk about this stuff. For me, this is very important", he said.
Khabib was eventually escorted from the scene by security officials, with UFC boss Dana White refusing to present him with his belt, citing the toxic atmosphere.
When the Russian appeared at the post-fight press conference he had been reunited with his strap, and issued an immediate apology over the incident.
“Sorry to the Nevada athletic commission, sorry to Las Vegas,” the Dagestani fighter said. "I know this is not my best side."
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