5 Years After the Khabib Fight, UFC Star Addresses Serial Cheating Accusations Against Conor McGregor: “Not a Ton of Actual Illegal Stuff”

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s rivalry is still a polarising topic in the combat sports community. McGregor and Nurmagomedov met each other in the cage at UFC 229 in October 2018. ‘The Eagle’ earned bragging rights after he forced the trash-talking Irishman to tap out in the fourth round. Despite earning a convincing win inside the cage, the conversations surrounding their rivalries continued.

One of those conversations was about how McGregor blatantly cheated multiple times during the fight. Many fans and pros, including the likes of Joe Rogan, have called out the fouls that the former champion committed during the fight. However, another lightweight star has now come forward with a different take on the subject.

UFC lightweight star Chase Hooper has come forward with his own explanation for some of the ‘cheating’ that McGregor stands accused of. The fighter defended some of McGregor’s actions, in an attempt to guard him from some of the common interpretations of his actions during the fight.

Chase Hooper defends Conor McGregor from UFC 229 criticism

A fan went after Conor McGregor on Twitter for his alleged cheating during UFC 229. In his tweet, the fan embedded pictures of McGregor breaking the rules during the fight. Chase Hooper, however, had a few things to say about the same.

‘The Dream’ wrote, “Not a ton of actual illegal stuff tbh. You can grab the wrist on the glove like he was doing that’s not an issue.” He continued, “Grabbing the a*s is fine but oil checking is not (had my cheeks grabbed on Saturday lmao). Toes in the cage are also more of a safety thing than an advantage to Conor”

McGregor has received a lot of flak over the years since the fight for these supposed rule violations. But Hooper’s feedback adds a bit more perspective to it. He further clarified that hooking the glove and toes in the cage were illegal nonetheless, but he had his own opinions on both situations.

Back in 2022, McGregor himself explained some of those sequences on Twitter. ‘Mystic Mac was having none of the cheating allegations and came up with his own justifications for the moves.

McGregor’s explanations for UFC 229 tactics

The Notorious’ best counter-argument for throwing illegal strikes during the fight was that they should be legalized. McGregor received criticism from all directions for illegal knee strikes to Nurmagomedov while on the ground. The 34-year-old even beefed with Joe Rogan over the same.

Later, he dubbed it “the springbok” knee and called for it to be legalized. Further, he defended his actions in his typical style and deleted the tweets later.

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The legendary showdown at UFC 229 was the biggest fight in UFC history. Despite the result, the rivalry is very much alive and divides fans to the day. However, talks of a rematch between the pair are practically dead since Nurmagomedov retired and McGregor is out of action since his injury. All that remains are the ‘if’s, ‘but’s, and ‘maybe’s.

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What are your thoughts on Chase Hooper’s comments? Do you agree with them? What is your take on the subject? Let us know in the comments.