Conor McGregor considers himself UFC LW champion: Khabib “Was Never Crowned” at UFC 229

While talking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani earlier, Conor McGregor took another dig at Khabib Nurmagomedov, explaining why he still considers himself at the UFC lightweight champion. The Notorious One, who is currently preparing for his return bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, touched on a number of topics, including his long-time Russian rival, who retired from the sport last year. McGregor said that The Eagle is not a true fighter and he’s “afraid” of fighting him again.

Conor McGregor questions Khabib Nurmagomedov’s championship status

The two megastars first collided at the main event of UFC 229, where The Eagle came out on top via submission in the fourth round. In the process, Khabib Nurmagomedov also retained his lightweight title, but Conor McGregor thinks that The Eagle is not a champion in his eyes. McGregor claimed that because of the brawl that started after their bout, Nurmagomedov was not given the title in front of the audience, which casts doubt on his rival’s championship status.

“I am the champion. Do you know that the unified title was never crowned? The unified title was never crowned that time in October 2018. Khabib fled the cage and left me fighting with his family members in the cage,” he added.

Also Read l McGregor vs Khabib: Conor slams Khabib, accuses him of avoiding rematch: “He’s afraid”

The infamous brawl began after Khabib Nurmagomedov vaulted over the octagon fence and attacked McGregor’s teammates right after beating the Notorious One. Many of Nurmagomedov’s teammates also attacked McGregor who was in the octagon, shocked from his recent loss. Because of this, Nurmagomedov was fined and faced a six-month suspension, but on paper, he remained the lightweight champion – which he still is.  

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After a long break, Nurmagomedov returned to the octagon as he successfully defeated Dustin Poirier to once again retain his title. He then bested Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 before announcing his retirement from the sport. Conor McGregor, on the other hand, went on to batter Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, once again becoming a top-ranked lightweight. A win over The Diamond will defiantly qualify McGregor as the next challenger for the title, but whether he’ll fight Khabib or someone else for the title still remains a huge question.

Also Read l Khabib UFC 229: Khabib says 'McGregor-Poirier fight winner could become LW champion'

Also Read l Khabib retirement: Khabib was disappointed with McGregor as he expected him to be mentally tougher at UFC 229

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