Khabib Says The McGregor Fight Would Have Been Ugly Without A Referee – ‘Would I Have Killed Him?’

Khabib Nurmagomedov admitted that he would have choked Conor McGregor out if there had been no referee.

The fighters faced off at UFC 229 in 2018 in a bout with plenty of bad blood. In the build-up, there were suggestions that McGregor had disrespected Khabib’s religion. The Irishman had also thrown a chair at a bus which had Khabib on with his entourage, showing the intense bad blood.

But when it came to the fight, it was all one-sided. Khabib wore his opponent down, choosing to grapple at every chance, before making him tap in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke. In the aftermath, Khabib jumped over the octagon as a melee broke out between both camps, causing security to intervene. Looking back at the fight, Khabib admitted that he may have acted differently with no referee.

Khabib On McGregor

“Would I have let him go? I wouldn’t have. It was a moment when your emotional state is at its peak. Everything was fair. We both knew what we were getting into. It wasn’t like choking someone on the street, he was one of the best fighters in the world. We had six months to prepare… Would I have killed him? Probably not, but I would’ve let him pass out,” Nurmagomedov said 

There has been speculation over a McGregor rematch throughout the years. Nurmagomedov admitted he had been offered the chance for big money, only to turn it down. 

“Why do I need that kind of money? There are so many organizations, for example . . . there’s not only football for the blind, there’s Sambo and other sports. Let [the UFC] give it to them, if they don’t know what to do with the money. But giving me $100 million for me to beat up that idiot again? I don’t think that’s rational..I’m surprised people even question me about a rematch. It seems that people want to continue the festivities after the fight. Everyone saw what happened in the Octagon,” Khabib stated 

Khabib On UFC 300

This was based on a promise he had given to his mother that he would never fight again following the passing of his father. But that did not prevent the UFC from reaching out to see if Khabib would consider making a return at UFC 300. The UFC had reportedly reached out to his former manager, Ali Abdelaziz, only for Khabib to turn it down.

“Honestly, no. I know they connected with Ali [Khabib’s former manager], but I told Ali last maybe one year, I said, ‘It doesn’t matter who calls you, but never call me about a fight.’ We have a deal, directly with me, nobody connects. But I know with Ali, he connected with some people from UFC. But I told (everyone) already once, and I told a lot of times for all these people that try to bring me back: I decided this in October 2020. It was my last fight, and I will never change this,” Nurmagomedov said 

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