‘Good performance, respect to you and your family’: Conor McGregor sends message of support to fierce rival Khabib Nurmagomedov after his shock retirement announcement
- Conor McGregor has messaged Khabib Nurmagomedov after his retirement
- Khabib had just defeated Justin Gaethje to retain his undefeated record
- However he had vowed to his mother this year that this fight would be his last
Conor McGregor has remained respectful to his fierce rival after Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from UFC after his most recent win.
After his shock announcement, McGregor took to Twitter to wish him, his team, and his family all the best.
‘Good performance @TeamKhabib,’ he wrote. ‘I will carry on. Respect and condolences on your father again also. To you and family. Yours sincerely, The McGregors.’
After retaining his flawless record Khabib Nurmagomedov has now announced he will retire
Conor McGregor, who has a rocky past with Khabib, sent a respectful message afterwards
Khabib made the surprise move right after he beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, keeping his undefeated record going.
Speaking to television cameras live afterwards, the 32-year-old was quick to thank his team but insisted he would not be returning to the UFC without his late father Abdulmanap by his side, following his passing in July after health complications caused by coronavirus.
McGregor made reference to his father’s passing in his tweet, expressing his condolences once again.
Khabib had just defeated Justin Gaethje to retain his undefeated record at UFC 254
Khabib’s father was taken to hospital in Moscow in May, after coronavirus symptoms exacerbated an existing heart condition, with his passing understood to have deeply affected Khabib. He then gave his word to his mother that the next fight he took in the octagon would be his last.
Khabib has retired with an unblemished 29-0 record, with many believing he would go well beyond that.
Khabib and McGregor have been fierce rivals after their fight and subsequent drama
The stage had been set for an eventual rematch with McGregor after the two locked horns in 2018. There were ugly scenes involving the Irishman throwing a trolley in Nurmagomedov’s direction while he sat on a bus in fight week leading up to UFC 223.
Khabib came away as the winner when they met at UFC 229, but in the aftermath, a scuffle broke out between the two fighters’ camps, resulting in fines and suspensions.
The pair have often been engaged in a war of words as well as in the octagon over the years, but following his retirement, it appears there is now a mutual respect between the two men.
Khabib had promised his mother following his father’s passing that this would be his last fight
In his tearful address to the world, Khabib said: ‘Today, I want to say, this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father. It was first time, after what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justin.
‘I talk with my mother three days, she don’t want that I go fight without father. I promised her, it’s going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here.
‘I know only one thing I want from UFC, you guys have to be me on No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, because I deserve this.
‘UFC undisputed, undefeated lightweight champion, 13-0, 13 in UFC, 29 in all pro MMA career. I think I deserve it.’