Khabib Nurmagomedov is preparing for his third defense of the Lightweight Title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The champion is looking to leave a legacy as one of the best fighters the company has ever seen. He is well on his way, currently holding an undefeated 29-0 record in his MMA career.

While Khabib is still building a legacy, he solidified it two years ago by defeating Conor McGregor in the most-watched UFC PPV of all-time at UFC 229. The rivalry was bitter and had its fair share of non-fighting controversies. However, Khabib was happy to put that behind him. He has told ESPN that people should not expect him to coach The Ultimate Fighter with Conor as the opposite coach.

“This Ultimate Fighter with him, this is good attention for him. I don’t want to give him this. I never give him this, even if they gave me $5 billion dollars. Even if they give me UFC (ownership), I’ll never do this. This is good attention for him.”

Khabib added his opinion on how he views the rivalry with McGregor, with it being ‘done’ in his eyes. “Done – everything is done,. (On) October 6, I finished him and I finished everything about him. I had new challenges – Dustin Poirier, now, Justin Gaethje. We’ll see who’s going to be next, but I don’t think it’s going to be Conor McGregor.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov done with Conor McGregor

Khabib just doesn’t want to open that can of worms with Conor again. Especially in an intimate setting like the TUF House, this rivalry could become way uglier than what it already is. Khabib has proven that he is a man of principle. However, the only man that can get under his skin and have him act out is Conor McGregor.

Considering how Khabib lost his father and is well on his way to establishing a strong legacy in the UFC, he does not need to enter that wormhole again. Conor is the one that needs to earn his way back to the title (if he is still interested). Khabib doesn’t owe him anything, and the man doesn’t need another massive PPV check to sustain himself.