Conor McGregor praised for turning bitter UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov into ‘Megastar’: ‘He helps the guys’
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor received praise from UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier for his star power.
In a recent episode of the ESPN show ‘DC & RC’, Cormier spoke about how the Irish star elevates his opponents’ stock, including his long-time teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“He has elevated two of my best friends. Two of the guys that I love, that I appreciate in this sport more than anyone. He has elevated Khabib (Nurmagomedov) to a megastar, and he has elevated Dustin Poirier to a level of stardom that Dustin never could’ve imagined getting before. So not only does he help himself, he helps the guys that he shares the octagon with – especially the ones that can beat him.” (h/t BJPenn.com)
Conor McGregor Has Been Involved in Rivalries Against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier
McGregor (22-6) was involved in a heated rivalry with Nurmagomedov in 2018 which elevated “The Eagle’s” star power. At UFC 229, the Dagestan, Russia native successfully defended the lightweight title against McGregor by fourth-round submission.
Since then, Nurmagomedov has become one of the greatest UFC lightweights of all-time. Before retiring in Oct. 2020, Nurmagomedov defended the 155-pound title three times against McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, respectively.
McGregor, who is expected to fight Michael Chandler later this year, has gone 1-2 since his fight with Nurmagomedov, with back-to-back losses to Poirier.
The “Notorious” last fought in July 2021 at UFC 264, where he suffered a TKO by doctor stoppage to Poirier. He has been rehabbing his injury with the goal of returning to action soon.
McGregor’s rivalries with Nurmagomedov and Poirier have resulted in some of the best-selling pay-per-view fights in U.S. history.
According to Insider, McGregor versus Nurmagomedov earned 2.5 million PPV buys while McGregor versus Poirier II and III earned a combined 3.104 million buys.
