It has been about 7 years since the altercation between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor’s former friend, Artem Lobov. Although ‘The Eagle’ was set to fight Al Iaquinta at UFC 223, all eyes were fixated on the beef between the Dagestani star and Lobov. After all, Nurmagomedov had seemingly slapped Lobov, and the altercation pushed ‘The Notorious’ to reportedly fly into the venue, which led to the infamous bus attack incident. From Nurmagomedov’s perspective, the story is known—Lobov disrespected him. But what about from the Russian-Irishman’s perspective? Well, he recently opened up about it.

But what exactly happened that led to the altercation before UFC 223? According to Lobov, it all sprouted when he tried to defend McGregor from Nurmagomedov’s jibes. ‘The Eagle’ kept constantly referring to ‘Mystic Mac’ as a chicken. Even though McGregor and Lobov’s friendship has taken a turn for the worse now, that was a time when they defended each other to the greatest extent. And that’s why he attacked Nurmagomedov verbally. 

Talking to Severe MMA, Lobov said, “Khabib then came up to me alone and he started saying all this to me, ‘What are you saying?’ I said, ‘Khabib hold on a second. If somebody would call your brother a chicken, would you have answered something to him?’ And he was like, can’t really say anything cause he knew I was right. So he turned around and went away. So I picked the phone back up and continued my interview.”

He further added, “But then a minute or two later Khabib comes back with fifty… I don’t know whatever, how many guys were there. He comes back and suddenly he is changed. Now I’m telling him the exact same thing again like,’You would have done the same thing.’ And he is asking me the same question over and over.”

But as per the former undefeated lightweight champion, it was a matter of honor and respect. Justifying his actions, the Dagestani said, “When someone calls someone a p—-, you understand how that’s perceived right? It doesn’t matter who says it, you have to address him.”

That moment was the boiling for point for one of the greatest, most scathing rivalries in the modern UFC history. It also gave us the greatest UFC PPV card, UFC 229, which was also the biggest, garnering 2.4 million PPV buys. Tensions were already simmering between McGregor and Nurmagomedov at that point, and that altercation between ‘The Eagle’ and ‘The Russian Hammer’ is basically what brought the fire to the gasoline.

However, Chael Sonnen had a difference of opinion regarding the beef between Lobov and Nurmagomedov. According to him, the former undefeated Dagestani champion never really slapped McGregor’s ex-friend. Let’s look at things from the mighty Chael Sonnen’s perspective.

UFC analyst defended Khabib Nurmagomedov

Taking to his YouTube channel, ‘The American Gangster’ weighed in on the altercation soon after McGregor challenged Lobov in 2022. Sonnen said, “Conor loaded up a jumbo jet in Ireland and flew in. He was so loyal to his friend, who was slapped. That was Artem. Which, by the way… I don’t think Khabib slapped him. I think Khabib said ‘hello’ to him. It’s not the contact, it’s how long you leave the hand there. Slap is instant. But the removal of slap is instant. Khabib put his hand there, but he kept it there. He was looking him in the eye like he was trying to talk to him. It’s different. In my opinion, it is not a slap if it stays there.” 

Now, things have indeed turned awry for the three former fighters. The friendship between Lobov and McGregor snapped in the nastiest way possible, because of Lobov’s claim to Proper No.12 Whiskey’s intellectual property. Artem Lobov basically claimed it was him who gave Conor McGregor the idea for the whiskey brand. After a failed lawsuit by Lobov, the duo aren’t even on speaking terms. It’s a perfect example of how the best of friends can turn into enemies. On top of that, McGregor was slapped with a serious civil case against Nikita Hand. And the jury decided against the Irishman. 

Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov faced allegations of evading tax. He’s apparently owing more than $3 million to the Russian government. But apart from that, ‘The Eagle’ has peacefully retired and is currently engaged in coaching his teammates in the new training center in Sildi. And right now, doesn’t it seem like Lobov took up arms against Nurmagomedov for a lost cause? What do you think of the 7-year-old altercation between Nurmagomedov and Lobov? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.