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Khabib takes stunning new swipe at 'lowlife' McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov has taken yet another sensational swipe at Conor McGregor, mocking the Irishman over his loss at UFC 229.

The 30-year-old Dagestan product dominated McGregor during their October fight, forcing the Irishman to tap out for the fourth time in his career.

TONE DEAF: McGregor racism slammed in wake of Christchurch attack

What followed was one of the most chaotic aftermaths to a UFC event ever as Khabib leapt the cage to attack members of McGregor’s team.

The simmering rivalry between the two has been sent into overdrive recently, with both fighters going head-to-head in a vile war of words on social media.

McGregor sparked outrage for comments that many have slammed as racist, after calling Khabib’s wife as a “towel” and a “camel” in reference to photos of the Russian’s veiled bride on her wedding day.

Conor McGregor’s tweet about Khabib’s wife. Image: Getty/Twitter
Conor McGregor’s tweet about Khabib’s wife. Image: Getty/Twitter

Khabib has also been guilty of crossing the line after calling McGregor a “rapist”, in reference to sexual assault allegations made against the Irishman.

UFC boss Dana White has warned both fighters they need to cut out the vitriol, with McGregor tweeted a message of acceptance as well as a cryptic message that he was reversing the decision to retire.

However, Khabib has once again rekindled the fire after taking a crack at the change in McGregor’s trash-talking once he’d realised he was being outclassed in their October bout.

“He always wants to be in the headlines. If you noticed, after each UFC event he makes comments, he praises those who win or insults someone,” Nurmagomedov said.

Khabib has taken aim at McGregor over their UFC 229 bout. Pic: Getty
Khabib has taken aim at McGregor over their UFC 229 bout. Pic: Getty

“This is his way of self-promoting, that’s how he makes headlines all the time. It works for him, he knows what he’s doing and I got no problem with that. He can say whatever he wants.

“Inside the cage, he didn’t say anything. When I was hitting him in the face with my elbows and knees, when I said ‘let’s talk,’ he didn’t respond.

“And now, when he is thousands of kilometres away, he is saying things. That just shows what kind of lowlife he really is.

“I have no problem with that, because when we were one-on-one in the cage, when he was on the floor he didn’t speak to me. And that is what really matters.”

McGregor a huge underdog in potential rematch

If you’re a McGregor fan who truly believes that he is both coming out of retirement and able to bring down Khabib, you may never get a better opportunity to bet on the Irishman.

Despite McGregor’s apparent retirement on March 25, which he may or may not have taken back this week, Vegas oddsmaker John Murray posted a money line for the outcome of a hypothetical fight between McGregor and Nurmagomedov on Friday.

It’s probably not a coincidence that these odds are coming out shortly after a Twitter exchange between the two fighters that was so ugly that UFC president Dana White released a statement promising to address the matter.

As far as when a fight between the two could occur, Nurmagomedov is still suspended for his role in sparking the UFC 229 chaos that left a black mark on his win over McGregor in October, but he should be eligible to return very soon.

Khabib pulled off a dominant win against the Irishman. Pic: Getty
Khabib pulled off a dominant win against the Irishman. Pic: Getty

Rather, it’s McGregor that may face the bigger obstacles to reach the Octagon. The 30-year-old is still retired, could face disciplinary action over multiple racist tweets directed at Nurmagomedov and still has pending charges for robbery in Florida and sexual assault in Ireland. There’s also the matter of negotiations for the fight, which is never easy with McGregor.

Why is Las Vegas so low on Conor McGregor?

Clearly, Vegas isn’t loving McGregor’s odds of reversing the outcome of his previous clash against the Russian. A bet on McGregor would pay out three times the bet amount, while a bet on Nurmagomedov would only return a quarter of the money you put up.

That’s not too shocking considering what happened during the pair’s previous fight, which some might not remember well thanks to the chaos that occurred after. To put it simply, Nurmagomedov was in control for the entire fight, up until his fourth-round submission of McGregor.

McGregor said as much in a lengthy Instagram analysis of the fight, though he insisted that he had learned from his mistakes, like a lack of respect for the wrestling-focused Nurmagomedov’s upright game. We’ll see if anything changes, assuming these two meet again.

With Yahoo Sports US