No matter how much time passes, UFC legends Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov continue to live at the heart of one of the sport’s biggest rivalries. While new rivalries come and go, nothing hits quite like ‘Khabib vs. McGregor’, which reached its peak at UFC 229 in 2018. Today, however, the two fighters have gone their separate ways. ‘The Eagle’, for instance, has stepped into his father’s shoes, running the family coaching business and training his cousins and teammates.

Conor McGregor, meanwhile, has fully thrown himself into the business world, owning and co-owning everything from a record label and alcohol brands to the BKFC, along with several other ventures. He has even tried his hand in Hollywood. Despite heading down such different paths in their careers, McGregor’s rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to draw attention, with many pointing to the Irishman as the one who ignited the feud with his polarizing personality. Now, a fresh perspective has emerged from one of McGregor’s close friends who was at the center of it all. PFL star Artem Lobov, who is now set to face Zubaira Tukhugov on October 3, finally opened up about the Khabib–McGregor beef during his latest appearance in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw.

Artem Lobov reveals the truth behind the bitter saga

During the interview, Lobov revealed his view of the story and shed light on who was responsible for the infamous “beef.” According to Lobov, it all began with Khabib Nurmagomedov. While he acknowledged Conor as the king of trash talk, the feud ignited when ‘The Eagle’ first labeled Conor a “chicken.” The former UFC star also pointed fingers at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz. “My personal opinion, that is probably his manager, Ali, that told him to go at Conor because obviously, Conor was such a big star and he probably told him, listen, you need to start calling him out. That’s what’s going to help you build your name,”  he said.

“But anyway, that’s what he was doing. Then I got to ask him about it in an interview with a Russian outlet, and I said, ‘Listen, I couldn’t just ignore it because he was calling Conor chicken, which in Russia is a very severe insult to a man,'” Lobov added.

Lobov witnessed the entire Khabib–Conor saga from its very beginning all the way to the UFC 229 post-fight brawl. Initially, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared to share a cordial relationship when the Irishman competed at 145 pounds, with the Irishman even calling Khabib the “future champion” of the lightweight division. However, tensions escalated when McGregor moved up to the lightweight ranks, eventually leading ‘The Eagle’ to label ‘the Notorious’ a “chicken” and threaten to “smash” him.

Artem Lobov later criticized Khabib Nurmagomedov in an interview about his habit of pulling out of fights, calling him “chicken” instead. This confrontation led the Russian star and his team to surround Lobov in a hotel lobby in Brooklyn and slap him. Following the incident, Lobov, along with his Irish friends, confronted ‘Team Khabib’ at New York’s Barclays Center during UFC 223 media day.

Where do Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor stand today?

Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov were once inseparable, like brothers from different mothers, willing to go to any lengths for each other. However, over time, money drove a wedge between them, and now they stand worlds apart. Consequently, they no longer meet in the octagon or training camps—they face each other in court, where Lobov has filed a lawsuit against ‘The Notorious’. He claims a 5% share of the proceeds from the sale of McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand.

A trial date is set for December. Despite their ongoing feud, Lobov still speaks fondly of his former “brother.” Looking back and comparing those days with the present, he told Ariel Helwani: “Obviously, things are not good between me and Conor,” Lobov explained. “We always had each other’s back. I feel like I showed him unmatched loyalty, I would dare for him to name anyone from all of his mates now, before whenever, who was more loyal to him than I was. I did everything for him,” Lobov continued. “Whenever we would do camps, I was the only one to never accept a cent from him.”

Despite their shared history, the two fighters still don’t see eye to eye, and the future of Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov remains uncertain. With both still active in the fight business, their paths could very well cross again. What do you think?