Vintage Conor McGregor Impressed Even Bitter Rival Khabib [WATCH]

Conor McGregor

Getty Conor McGregor

Even undefeated UFC lightweight champion and bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn’t help but be impressed by what most consider the prime version of Conor McGregor back in 2015.

BT Sport released rare footage on Twitter of Nurmagomedov reacting to seeing McGregor’s amazing knock out of Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 194.

Nurmagomedov was sitting in the crowd that night and probably hoping to someday fight the winner.

His reaction is priceless, and Nurmagomedov seems to go through all the same phases just about everyone else in the world went through that night after McGregor shockingly dethroned Aldo with a picture-perfect punch that changed the UFC forever.

McGregor returns to the Octagon on Jan. 18 to face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. McGregor, 31, from Dublin, hasn’t competed in the UFC since being submitted by Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.

While McGregor covets a rematch against Khabib, Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told TMZ Sports earlier this month that there was a “0.00%” chance of the fight happening.

Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!


McGregor and Khabib’s Rivalry Grew Biggest at UFC 229

McGregor tapped out to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018. The event turned out to be the highest-selling UFC PPV event of all-time, but the buildup included the infamous bus attack that McGregor led on Nurmagomedov and others at Barclays Center in Brooklyn during a media event for UFC 223.

Things somehow got even uglier after the fight was signed, and ugliest after Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor.

After the fight was over, the infamous and chaotic post-fight brawl that ended up spreading into the crowd became the biggest MMA story of the entire year. Both fighters were suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for their roles.

While a rematch would be one of the biggest fights in UFC history, it’s easy to see why there might be at least some impediments to getting both fighters on the same page. Still, the video released by BT Sport ahead of UFC 246 is a good reminder to fans and media that there was a time when the two fighters were still able to respect each other.

Perhaps that kind of thing might happen again someday.


Will Vintage McGregor Return at UFC 246?

At his peak, McGregor was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Even today, McGregor remains ranked among the top 15 UFC fighters according to the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings based largely on how good he’s been in the past.

Of course, McGregor’s shocking destruction of Aldo for the UFC featherweight title in 2015 wasn’t his only fantastic performance inside the Octagon. Still, as far as taking over a division goes with a single punch, it remains pretty epic.

McGregor went on to split fights over two epic encounters at welterweight against Nate Diaz before jumping back down to 155 pounds to capture the UFC lightweight title by stopping Eddie Alvarez in the second round at UFC 205 in November 2016.

That made McGregor the first UFC fighter ever to hold two UFC championships in different weight classes at the same time.

Now McGregor hopes to get back to the top of the sport. His chance to take his first step on that road starts at UFC 246 against dangerous contender Cerrone.

READ NEXT: Conor McGregor’s Potential Floyd Mayweather Rematch Begins at UFC 246