Even though years have passed since the earthshaking fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018, barely anyone has forgotten the profanity-filled build-up to the bout. ‘The Notorious,’ a clever and sharp-tongued trash-talker, crossed all the lines in a bid to promote the fight. However, when the fight night finally dawned on the two fighters, McGregor had to pay dearly.

Nurmagomedov beat the Irishman to a pulp before submitting McGregor with a neck crank in the fourth round. Years after the bout, a resurfaced 2019 clip of Khabib Nurmagomedov speaking to a gaggle of children has gone viral, leaving WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson stunned. “So he talk a lot of trash for me. It was like very important to catch this guy,” ‘The Eagle’ could be seen telling the children.

“Honestly, like Herb Dean saved his life. 100%,” he confessed before claiming, had it not been for the veteran referee, “He [was] gonna die because I catch him.” The 36-year-old further added that the conclusion of the fight “was like not enough for me. This is make me sad.” Forget the kids—what truly raised eyebrows was that even a seasoned boxer like Shakur Stevenson couldn’t believe what the undefeated former UFC lightweight champion had said. 

Sharing the resurfaced clip—recently uploaded by Happy Punch—on his Instagram story, Stevenson didn’t hide his shock. “Yooo nah Brodie a real assassin,” Stevenson wrote. “He said for me that wasn’t enough, and the man sitting there talking to kids lmao.” Nurmagomedov’s claims reflected exactly what had transpired after the fight was over. Unsatisfied with the win, the Dagestani grappler climbed over the octagon fence and attacked McGregor’s teammate, Dillon Danis, in the crowd, which sparked a melee between the two teams.

Conor McGregor wanted to eat children after the Khabib Nurmagomedov loss

Conor McGregor sparked outrage after declaring his intentions to eat Nurmagomedov’s children in a tweet back in August 2021. He channeled his inner Mike Tyson to write, “I wanna eat his children!!!!” before adding, “When’s the last time he’s even seen them actually? His wife? Mother?” After facing widespread backlash, McGregor quickly took the tweet down.

Despite losing the fight years before, McGregor had been bitter towards Khabib, previously mocking the death of Khabib’s father. In response to McGregor’s insults towards his father, the Dagestani fighter told Mike Tyson on Hotboxin’ podcast, “This shows what you have inside. This shows how dirty you are.”

The animosity between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor may never truly die off. But while Khabib retired from the sport as a legend, McGregor’s various controversies since then have only further worsened his public image and character. What did you think of Khabib’s confession?