Khabib Nurmagomedov Claims He Nearly Killed Conor McGregor in Fight

Former UFC lightweight champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor aren’t exactly on good terms; from the bus attack at Madison Square Garden to the aftermath of their bout at UFC 229, the two will more than likely always have a strong hatred for one another.

But Nurmagomedov gave some pretty pointing insight in terms of what he could’ve done to McGregor had the fight not been regulated, even going as far as claiming that he could’ve taken McGregor’s life had it not been for referee Herb Dean stopping the bout and giving Nurmagomedov the win by submission.

In a recent interview with RT, Nurmagomedov explained the feeling of choking McGregor out during their infamous bout at UFC 229, a fight in which he seemingly dominated from start to finish.

“A person can die from such a [grip]. If I were to strangle you a little behind the scenes, you would understand what it is about,” Nurmagomedov said. “You saw what happened. Remove Herb Dean and you yourself will understand whether I would have gone to the end or not.”

“When a person strangles you and has been doing this for 30 years, this is a cold weapon. If there had been no referee, what could have happened?”

The heated rivalry between Nurmagomedov and McGregor has taken to new heights following McGregor’s loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor attacked Nurmagomedov’s accolades leading up to the bout and viciously attacked Nurmagomedov’s deceased father, Abdulmanap shortly after in a since-deleted tweet.

One thing is perfectly clear, these two don’t seem to be planning to bury the hatchet any time soon. With Nurmagomedov retired and McGregor recovering from a leg injury, it’s not very likely we’ll see the two of them compete against one another in the octagon ever again.

What is your reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments on his fight with Conor McGregor?