The UFC 229 press conference in New York City was predictably late and predictably wild, as current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champ Conor McGregor met face-to-face for the first time since the fight was announced in August.
McGregor went hard after Khabib, particularly his ties to Russian oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov and Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. Obviously he’s been reading the work of our own Karim Zidan.
McGregor on Khabib - “He bought t-shirts off mine, the little fanboy b*tch” The Irishman also calls out Khabib for his ties with oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov who was arrested on organized crime charges #UFC229
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 20, 2018
McGregor snaps at Khabib calling him "a fake lying rat" for his involvement with oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov #UFC229
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 20, 2018
McGregor addresses Instagram post about Khabib’s father, states Abdulmanap has “fake respect out of fear” after posting a picture of himself with Ramzan Kadyrov captioned “together we are stronger” #UFC220
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 20, 2018
During the #UFC229 press conference, Conor McGregor brought up Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov and arrested oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov. To understand his references, here is a sample of my work on these topics
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) September 20, 2018
1) https://t.co/GvEzTFkPcG
2) https://t.co/kokIgoTOTG
Well if you thought that McGregor’s research into Khabib’s background was incredible, the staredown between McGregor and Khabib turned into a rant towards Nurmagomedov’s controversial manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who presumably said something to him that set him off.
“Shut your mouth, Ali Abdelaziz,” McGregor said. “You terrorist snitch! I know a lot about you as well, you mad man. I know a lot about you as well! You keep your mouth shut kid! How’s Noah? How’s Noah? Yeah, shut your mouth! Never speak about me, ever in your life! Watch yourself around me, ‘cuz you’ll be out of here quick.”
“Don’t come at the king!” McGregor added after taking a photo with his two UFC belts.
Unlike for Magomedov and Kadyrov, McGregor never expanded on who “Noah” is or his apparent relation to Abdelaziz. This is what it looks like he’s referring to.
UFC 229 is set for October 6th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judging by viewing numbers on the live stream, this really looks like it will be the biggest event in UFC history.
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