During the entire UFC 329 fight week, Conor McGregor has answered questions about his five-year hiatus and how he has tailored his training camp for Max Holloway. However, there was one question that caught everyone by surprise: Will McGregor go to Dagestan?

The former UFC champion appeared on the Full Send Podcast as part of the promotional build-up to his next fight. There, podcast host Kyle Forgeard first asked McGregor whether he would be interested in fighting Islam Makhachev. Without much hesitation, the Irishman replied with a firm “yes.” As a follow-up, the podcast’s co-host, Steiny, jokingly asked the 37-year-old whether he would spend “two or three years” in Dagestan, a phrase made famous by Makhachev. In response, McGregor firmly dismissed the possibility, despite acknowledging that he has fans all across Russia, including Dagestan.

“I wouldn’t (laughs). I’ll tell you that now,” McGregor said. “Look, I have actually many fans in Dagestan, to tell you the truth. And many Russian fans and that’s it.”  

As the Dublin native pointed out, he does have a sizeable fanbase in Russia. In fact, following his monumental defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018, McGregor hosted a grand press conference in Moscow in 2019, where many people gathered to catch a glimpse of him. But even though the UFC star firmly believes he has fans across Russia, the situation in Dagestan could be a different story, and there’s a reason why. 

While McGregor was on his promotional tour in Russia, a Dagestani man, who was undoubtedly a Khabib fan, appeared at one of his sponsored events. He questioned ‘The Notorious’ over the insults he had directed at his “brothers” before suddenly throwing a bottle at him, which McGregor dodged with ease.

Following that encounter, Conor McGregor realized he probably wouldn’t receive a warm welcome from the people of Dagestan. Reflecting on the incident, the former two-division champion declared that he would never set foot in the region for the rest of his life. Even so, there was once a time when ‘The Notorious’ received an invitation from none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father to visit the Russian region.

Despite the former UFC two-division champion having a heated rivalry with ‘The Eagle’, during which he pulled no punches with his insults, Khabib’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, forgave McGregor and even invited him to Dagestan as his guest for one of his regional tournaments. 

“Distinguished guests, I invite again to the tournament our close friend [actor and former UFC fighter] Oleg Taktarov and McGregor,” Abdulmanap told Russia Today. “I said that I forgive him. It’s important to be kind-hearted!”

That said, with Conor McGregor reluctant to visit Dagestan, it’s highly unlikely the UFC would hold an event there or carry out any joint promotional activities if he ever fights Islam Makhachev for the title. But before that, the Irishman needs to defeat Max Holloway and then establish himself as a legitimate welterweight contender.