Khabib Nurmagomedov has taken the time to explain why he thinks Conor McGregor’s trash talk didn’t work against Dustin Poirier.
Last Saturday night at UFC 264, McGregor fell to his second straight loss against Poirier as a result of a broken leg. It came in the wake of a new “strategy” for the Irishman leading into the trilogy, with Conor deciding to revert back to the trash talk status quo that first put him on the map in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov has also experienced that side of “The Notorious” heading into UFC 229, and in that instance, we saw the same result with Khabib mauling McGregor before submitting him to retain the UFC lightweight title.
After UFC 264, Khabib took part in an interview with ESPN where he spoke about McGregor’s trash talk and why “The Diamond” was able to overcome it.
A few clips from today’s interview with Khabib Nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib). We covered a lot of ground, some of which, of course, included Conor McGregor’s last week/weekend. pic.twitter.com/8LtJKHV95Q
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 13, 2021
“It sounds like same thing that Dustin said, it’s just noise,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think it was fake Conor. That’s my opinion. Because a couple of months ago we see how he was nice. It looks like fake. That’s why this trash talk don’t work on Dustin Poirier I think.
“My opinion, it was his big mistake. He lose so much energy. He lose so much energy because he try to go under his skin. Don’t focus on your opponent. Why you have to focus on him? Just focus on yourself.”
Now, the focus is set to shift towards Dustin Poirier vs Charles Oliveira for the UFC’s 155-pound crown – but a fourth fight in the rivalry between Poirier and McGregor can’t be ruled out either.
What do you think of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s remarks regarding Conor McGregor’s trash talk? Does this signal the end of his time as an elite competitor? Let us know your thoughts on this saga down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!
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