Khabib Nurmagomedov: I wouldn’t coach TUF vs. Conor McGregor for $5 billion

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke recently with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, and explained why he turned down an offer from the UFC to coach season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite former champ champ Conor McGregor.

This Ultimate Fighter with him. This is good attention for him,” said Nurmagomedov. “I don’t want to give him this. I never give him this, even if they gave me $5 billion dollar. Even if they give me UFC, I’ll never do this. This is good attention for him.

Done – everything is done. October 6, I finished him and I finished everything about him. I had new challenges – Dustin Poirier, now, Justin Gaethje. We’ll see who’s going to be next but I don’t think it’s going to be Conor McGregor.

The two fought at UFC 229 on October 6, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The good news for McGregor was he became the first person in the league to win a round vs. Nurmagomedov. The bad for McGregor was he tapped out at 3:03 of Round 4.

The leadup to the fight was likely the most acrimonious in UFC history. The bad blood boiled over when in April of 2018 at UFC 223, McGregor chartered a jet, flew across the Atlantic, and attacked a bus Nurmagomedov was on with a hand trolley. Conor heard that Nurmagomedov had had words with SBGi teammate Artem Lobov. At various points McGregor has insulted:
•Nurmagomedov’s wife, captioning an image of her veiled on her wedding day, “Your wife is a towel mate,.”
•Nurmagomedov’s father: “Quivering coward.”
•Nurmagomedov’s people: “It’s in the nature of the Dagestani man to run. Every great Russian knows this about the Dagestani men. Every Chechen knows this about the Dagestani men. They run and they cower.”

After the fight, a brawl broke out between the camps, with Nurmagomedov leaping out of the Octagon and onto one of McGregor’s sparring partners. 

Each fighter has competed just one since. McGregor quickly dismantled “Cowboy” Cerrone in January, and Nurmagomedov submitted Dustin Poirier in Round 3 at UFC 242 in September of 2019. Khabib next defends vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24. He plans one more fight, ideally vs. welterweight GOAT Georges St-Pierre, and then plans to retire with a 30-0 record.

Even if they give me $5 billion — even if they give me the UFC — I [would] never do this.@TeamKhabib won’t give Conor McGregor good attention by coaching TUF against him 🚫 (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/SVOI2YNCv3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 13, 2020

h/t Nolan King for MMA Junkie