Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life? UFC Veteran Answers
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov remains one of the most heated in UFC history. Their feud peaked with their fight at UFC 229 in 2018, which has left a lasting impression on the sport and, according to UFC veteran Chael Sonnen, may have had a deeper impact on McGregor’s life.
Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life?
The bad blood between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov began years before their fight. Tensions escalated in 2018 when McGregor attacked a bus carrying Khabib and his team, leading to legal trouble for the Irish fighter. Their highly anticipated clash at UFC 229 became the best-selling pay-per-view event in UFC history.
In the fight, Khabib dominated McGregor with his grappling and ultimately submitted him in the fourth round. The drama didn’t end there, as Khabib jumped out of the cage to confront McGregor’s team, sparking a chaotic post-fight brawl. Chael Sonnen, UFC veteran, asks:
“Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life? Conor McGregor has lashed out in various ways at Khabib. The juxtaposition here, guys, is—however, however, however hot you want to be—Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, you’re going to attack a guy and threaten to bite off his testicles, right? I mean, that’s about as vicious of a line as there’s ever been.”
Chael Sonnen recently shared his thoughts on how this rivalry might have affected McGregor. He pointed to McGregor’s erratic behavior over the years, including late-night social media outbursts that often involve personal attacks on Khabib and his family. These posts are frequently deleted hours later, which Sonnen believes could point to deeper emotional struggles. Sonnen explained:
“And he’s gone out on a coke or booze binge, or whatever you call it, at 3:00 in the morning, woken up at 8:00 a.m., and deleted the things that he said—racial epithets, things about family. You’ve got to be real careful when you deal with culture.”
Sonnen also questioned why McGregor continues to lash out at Khabib despite there being no chance of a rematch. With Khabib retired from MMA, there’s no competitive reason for the two to cross paths again. Sonnen speculated that lingering trauma from their fight might be at play. He continued:
I’ve never seen Conor play before when there wasn’t a payoff. There was no chance of those two touching each other in a competitive one-on-one situation. They will not so much as play horseshoes against each other in this lifetime. So what’s it all for?
Since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor’s career has been marked by ups and downs. While he remains one of MMA’s biggest stars, injuries and inconsistent performances have slowed his momentum. Outside the Octagon, he has faced legal issues and criticism for his behavior, including allegations of substance abuse and confrontational actions.
Meanwhile, Khabib has retired undefeated and shifted his focus to coaching and promoting MMA events. The two fighters have taken very different paths since their infamous clash. Sonnen concludes with:
“Unless there’s some post-traumatic stress that is left over—and it seems like it’s ruining Conor’s life.”
