Did Khabib Give McGregor PTSD?
Chael Sonnen has suggested that Conor McGregor is no longer the same fighter following his defeat against Khabib Nurgamedov.
McGregor suffered a fourth-round submission loss in the biggest fight of his career at UFC 229. The build-up was marred by lots of controversy. McGregor threw a chair at Khabib’s team bus. He then made a series of derogatory comments aimed at him during the presser. Khabib managed to gain his revenge in the Octagon. He submitted McGregor before going to jump over the Octagon as a brawl broke out. That summed up McGregor’s poor run of form, as he suffered three defeats in his last four UFC fights. His last appearance was a defeat against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.
McGregor also suffered a broken leg, as he has not competed since then. During his time out of the Octagon, he has been pictured drinking, smoking and partying. He also pulled out of his comeback fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last year because of a broken toe. McGregor has also been facing legal issues. Nikita Hand filed a civil sexual lawsuit against him, as the Irishman was ordered to pay her damages and legal fees. Another lawsuit is also taking place on similar grounds following an alleged incident after an NBA finals game in 2023.
McGregor has been firing verbal shots against Khabib after their fight with the view to try and secure the rematch. But Khabib retired from the sport undefeated, with the 29-0, saying that he would not fight again after a promise he made to his mother once his father had passed away. McGregor was recently caught spitting at a Khabib fan, showing that he is struggling to deal with life outside of the Octagon.
Sonnen Reacts
He has been linked with numerous fights, including a boxing exhibition against Logan Paul and a BKFC fight against Jeremy Stephens. But none of these have come to fruition. Dana White recently confirmed that he is not sure when McGregor will come back. But since he has two fights left on his UFC deal, the Irishman will be desperate to step back into the Octagon. But to do that, McGregor must be focused. Sonnen felt that McGregor was not the same fighter as he had not recovered mentally from the Khabib defeat.
“Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life? Is that what’s happening?… Conor McGregor has lashed out in ways at Khabib… The test is to measure whether the things you said after were hotter or cooler than the things you said before. I would still argue, particularly verbally, that even the words Conor McGregor was throwing as he’s assaulting and the dolly and the whole [bus] incident were not as provocative as the things he’s saying now… Conor McGregor deleted some of it many times. Many times he’s gone out on a coke or booze binge or what,” Sonnen said
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