Khabib Nurmagomedov believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has to make an effort to humble their top-drawing athlete.
McGregor made headlines for all the wrong reasons following an incident at Bellator 187. The UFC lightweight champion was in attendance to cheer on his teammate Charlie Ward. McGregor was not in Ward’s corner, but rather a spectator.
Ward earned a TKO win over John Redmond in the first round. When McGregor hopped the cage to celebrate with Ward, chaos ensued. Referee Marc Goddard separated the two as he hadn’t decided if the round was over or if Redmond couldn’t continue. McGregor ran behind Goddard and gave him a shove.
During a recent appearance on the Talk & Talker podcast, Nurmagomedov said McGregor has to be put in his place (via MMAFighting.com):
“Yes, it’s okay, but not all the time. He does this all the time. In Ultimate Fighter show, in Bellator show, I don’t understand why he can do but other guys cannot do. Because he’s Conor McGregor? He cannot do this. The UFC has to make him humble a little bit because other guys say, ‘Oh, Conor do this? He can do this but why I not?’ This is why sometimes you have to follow rules when you’re a big name, because a lot of people are watching you. When you jump inside the ring, okay, but when you try to fight with referee, this is not good.”
