Conor McGregor Criticizes Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Undefeated Record Ahead of UFC 229

Conor McGregor has never been all that enamored by the performances he’s seen from UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Last year, McGregor famously ripped Nurmagomedov’s win over Edson Barboza by saying that he looked like ‘dogs–t’ despite the lopsided unanimous decision he earned.

The same could be said of McGregor’s opinion of the Russian’s victory against Al Iaquinta in April that gave him the 155-pound championship.

A quick scan of his resume has McGregor questioning the praise that’s so routinely heaped on Nurmagomedov because he’s 26-0. McGregor can’t help but wonder if Nurmagomedov isn’t still undefeated in large part because he’s never really faced top competition in his UFC career.

“I’m not really impressed that much by his record,” McGregor said in an interview with Megan Olivi. “It’s a pretty looking record but if you dig deep, it’s not that pretty. I think it’s very deceiving. Everybody seems to put him on a pedestal, he’s this, he’s that — I don’t see it.

“He’s a bit timid when it comes to taking a shot. He does not like to take a smack. If you don’t like to take a smack and you fight me, you’re in for a long, long night.”

If McGregor is questioning Nurmagomedov’s record, he’s out right stating that the belt wrapped around his waist right now is nothing more than a fake.

Thanks to an injury suffered to Tony Ferguson during fight week, Nurmagomedov ended up winning his title by defeating a much lower ranked fighter in Iaquinta at UFC 223 after he accepted the matchup on 24 hours notice.

Now that McGregor is back, he hopes to remind Nurmagomedov and anybody else in the division that the real lightweight champion never lost his belt and he’s returning to reclaim his throne.

“He fought an unranked novice let’s say,” McGregor said about Nurmagomedov’s win over Iaquinta. “I don’t believe he’s champion. I don’t believe [Tony] Ferguson is champion.

“I believe they know that, especially now, that the real champion is back.”