Conor McGregor Dismisses Khabib's Legacy and Claims He's Better Than Jon Jones

Ahead of his highly anticipated return at UFC 329 against Max Holloway on July 11, Conor McGregor has launched a scathing rant on his old rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a new interview with Complex, the Irishman completely dismantled Nurmagomedov's legacy, minimizing the impact that "The Eagle" has had on the sport.

The interview between McGregor and Complex's Jordan Rose consisted of McGregor creating a ranked list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. McGregor's rant on Khabib, however, has quickly gone viral, overshadowing much of the ranking discussion and the pre-fight buildup for his bout against Max Holloway.

Watch the full interview here:

McGregor's Fiery Rant on Khabib

McGregor was responding to a question about the legacies of Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov when he launched into an all-out verbal attack. He laughed off the comparison and aimed at Nurmagomedov's body of work in the UFC.

"The guy done nothing in the sport- 13 fights he's had in the company. Three against named opponents," McGregor argued.

He has been unable to accept his 2018 submission loss to 'The Eagle' at UFC 229. According to McGregor, Khabib's win over McGregor was against a version of himself that was far from his best.

"He had a fight with me, and I was coming off the yacht," McGregor explained. "I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? I don't even want to say – I was partying heavy, I was up to my eyeballs in court cases."

McGregor claims the fight happened after a two-year layoff and that his preparation was far from ideal.

Watch their full fight here (via UFC on YouTube):

He further suggested that a broken toe sustained weeks before the bout significantly hampered his performance. "I'm sure you've seen the Netflix show where I broke my f- foot three weeks before the bout. This guy is nothing."

Nurmagomedov won via a fourth-round submission, but McGregor believes the win is tainted by his personal issues. The Irishman's criticism did not stop at just one fight.

McGregor Criticizes Khabib's Retirement

McGregor was particularly critical of Nurmagomedov's decision to retire from MMA at the peak of his powers.

"And where is he now also? He's gone," McGregor said. "So I don't rate him at all, no courage, the man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damned shame!"

Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 after defeating the current lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, at UFC 254 (via UFC on YouTube):

His decision to retire came due to the passing of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

The Irish star also tried to dismantle the statistics behind Nurmagomedov's unbeaten 29-0 record. He pointed to a lack of knockouts and a perceived lack of diversity in opponents.

"Never fought above weight divisions, missed weight, three fights, no stoppages, no knockouts," McGregor argued. "Come on, man. How many knockouts has he got? Three or four? You must be mad if you think I'm going to waste my time watching that s-."

He also criticized the early part of Khabib's career, dismissing the quality of his regional opponents.

"The first half of his work was fighting on his father's shows in the middle of nowhere in wherever he is from, right?" McGregor questioned. "He's 12-0, the opponent he's fighting is 0-0! This isn't boxing, I do not rate him."

McGregor's Interesting List

In building his list, McGregor omitted Georges St-Pierre from his top ten and believes he could defeat Jon Jones in a fight, despite Jones backing him in his upcoming fight against Holloway.

"None of these boys, including Jon, are on my level. He's got eight knockouts, I've got 19," he stated.

McGregor has not only dismissed his rival in this interview but has also placed himself at the top of the all-time UFC rankings. He believes his longevity and knockout power set him apart from his peers.

"The Mac Daddy baby done it all," he stated with confidence. "All weights, triple KOs, knockouts in featherweight, knockouts at lightweight, knockouts at welterweight. "The only UFC combatant to do so, the first double champ and the man with all the records in the game."

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:53 PM.