Conor McGregor is facing a wave of allegations after injuring his knee against Max Holloway at UFC 329. Many suspect that ‘The Notorious’ entered the fight with a pre-existing injury, a claim the former UFC champion has firmly refuted as he prepares to undergo surgery. However, fresh accusations have now emerged from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, who alleges that ‘The Notorious’ is attempting to sabotage the UFC. 

According to Khabib’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, the Irishman deliberately entered his UFC 329 bout with a pre-existing injury so he could cash in on his guaranteed purse without taking much damage, with just one fight remaining on his contract.

“But here’s what I really think…. You know what?” Ali said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. “I was already injured.’ Obviously, the UFC can’t control whether you win or lose. That’s up to the fighter. And maybe he thought, ‘You know what? I’ve already got all my guaranteed money, and everybody’s going to say Conor just got injured’. He didn’t get beat up. Because I think Max was going to tune him up. That’s my opinion. I think Max was going to tune him up because Conor just isn’t the guy he used to be. He used to be a great fighter. I’m not taking anything away from him.

“I think Conor took the easy way out. You just have to really, really fight all the way, especially with the amount of money he’s making and the people flying in. There are also two scenarios. Maybe he got injured a little bit in there, or maybe he’s like, ‘You know what?. I owe you two fights. Here you go. One fight, and the second one I’ll give you in six or seven months, and then I’m out.’ That’s what I think.”   

That’s a serious allegation from Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s manager. By clashing with Max Holloway at UFC 329, Conor McGregor has already fulfilled one of the two remaining fights on his UFC contract, which the promotion did not extend. Even though last week’s bout ended after the Irishman injured his knee, the UFC is still obligated to pay ‘The Notorious’ the agreed-upon amount because he made it to the cage. 

While neither the promotion nor McGregor has officially disclosed his purse, several social media pages have claimed that he earned $30 million for the fight. For that reason, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s manager alleged that the former UFC champion entered the bout with a pre-existing injury, knowing the referee would most likely stop it early. Ali’s theory received support from Kamaru Usman during their talk.

Moreover, with the former two-division UFC champion having one fight left on his contract, the promotion is obligated to offer him another bout as long as he does not retire. If the reported purse figures are accurate, McGregor could earn another massive payday in his final UFC appearance, potentially bringing his total earnings from the final two fights of his contract to around $60 million without breaking much of a sweat.       

As of now, fighters such as Israel Adesanya have speculated that Conor McGregor entered his UFC 329 fight carrying an injury. However, Khabib’s manager appears to be the first to allege that the Irish fighter deliberately plotted to sabotage the promotion. 

Also, going by ‘The Notorious’s remarks during his interview with Ariel Helwani, the UFC has already set the date for his next fight, which is expected to take place next April.  So, if that timeline holds, it will be interesting to see whether McGregor or the promotion responds to Ali Abdelaziz’s accusations before then.