Conor McGregor has launched a venomous attack on his bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov via social media, wrongly labelling the former UFC champion a “terrorist”.
At least 20 people were slaughtered on Sunday when gunmen stormed religious sites and a police checkpoint in Dagestan, a Russian republic known for producing world martial arts champions including Nurmagomedov.
Images of militants dressed in black clothing setting fire to religious sites and opening fire with automatic rifles were widely shared online after the attack.
A synagogue in the regional capital Makhachkala was engulfed in flames on Sunday in the attacks, with smoke pouring from the building.
Another group of attackers set fire to a second synagogue in Derbent, Russia’s southernmost city, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) further south.
Conor McGregor launched a vicious tirade against his former UFC opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov on social media
The bizarre allegations come after gunmen attacked religious sites in Dagestan, a Russian republic.
Two synagogues and an Orthodox church in southern Russia were targeted in attacks that killed at least 20 people
The area’s regional governor later claimed that the ‘bandits’ involved in the attacks had been ‘eliminated’
One of the shooters is believed to have been mixed martial arts fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, who was affiliated with a gym run by the former UFC lightweight champion
There, the gunmen also attacked two Orthodox churches, reportedly slitting the throat of a priest.
The area’s regional governor, Sergei Melikov, later said the “bandits” had been “eliminated.” Images showed members of Russia’s FSB security service standing over bloodied corpses at the scene of the shooting.
After the terrible attacks it became clear that one of the people allegedly involved was Gadzhimurad Kagirov. He was an accomplished freestyle wrestler who developed into an undefeated MMA fighter.
According to reports, Kagirov was affiliated with Nurmagomedov’s training facility in the area.
In addition to condemning the attacks, Nurmagomedov categorically denied that Kagirov had been a member of his team, though he noted that the former wrestler may have previously trained at his gym.
‘[Kagirov] “It’s not our student, that’s absolute nonsense, that’s not true,” Nurmagomedov told Russian media.
“Yes, he had a camp at the gym once, maybe for a few months, but he was never part of the team.”
On Friday, footage shared on social media platform X allegedly showed Russian authorities surrounding the gym in preparation for a raid, local media reported. security forces had carried out searches in the school.
Former UFC two-weight champion McGregor shared the post, adding: “#ConorWasRight,” a reference to previous accusations he has made about Nurmagomedov, followed by a series of bizarre claims about his former opponent.
The Irishman continued his social media tirade by writing ‘S*** on the bus terrorist’, a reference to an incident where he attacked a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other fighters ahead of the 2018 UFC 223 event.
In a social media post, McGregor called Nurmagomedov a “terrorist” while referencing the infamous bus incident ahead of UFC 223.
The Irishman also reposted a clip that reportedly showed Russian authorities preparing to raid Nurmagomedov’s gym in Dagestan.
Russian media reports claim that Nurmagomedov’s gym has been searched in connection with the attacks
McGregor outrageously claimed members of Nurmagomedov’s team ‘held hostage’ doping testers who visited his gym
In another x-rated post, McGregor claimed he suffered a broken foot when he fought Nurmagomedov in 2018
McGregor also made multiple unsubstantiated allegations that members of Nurmagomedov’s team had taken drug testers hostage in their gym before forcing them to accept someone else’s samples, and that video existed of the 35-year-old “destroying” a “premise.”[sic] full of people with bats.
‘If a tester showed up at the terrorist gym, they would hold him hostage and give urine to a random clean person against the fighters they wanted to test.
‘Now everything is coming out. If this goes on top, see what comes up.
‘There is a video of Khabib walking into a building full of people and smashing the place with a bat, threatening everyone inside. Everything will come out. Mystical Mac’
In another expletive-laden post, McGregor claimed he suffered a broken foot prior to the pair’s meeting in the Octagon more than five years ago.
‘I fought this little rat with a completely broken foot. I should have held off like I did this time. What the f***** advantage did I give this little cousin.
“He shit on that bus and showed his true chicken heart. B**** spoiled brat. Now you’re F*****! When you die I’ll celebrate!
McGregor also reignited his feud with Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. On Friday he repeated the bizarre claim that the former judoka had been arrested in 2001 on suspicion of involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks.
“Ali Aziz get over there quick and see what’s going on!” McGregor wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
“Oh, I forgot you can’t do that because you were caught on a flight on September 11, 2001 and caught with five different passports. You then turned informant on your terrorist jihad cell to save your own rat skin.”
The 35-year-old also shared a photo of herself with the caption, “Prada Bulletproof. Backed by GOD”
In a now-deleted tweet, the former two-weight UFC champion reiterated previous allegations about Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz.
McGregor previously claimed that Abdelaziz (pictured) was detained on the day of the September 11 terrorist attacks
The 35-year-old made similar claims during the build-up to his fight with Nurmagomedov in October 2018.
McGregor then shared a photo of himself wearing designer clothes, with the caption: “Prada Bulletproof. Backed by GOD.”
Earlier this week, Nurmagomedov condemned the attacks as “inhumane”.
“Entering a church and killing someone just because he is a member of a different religion. Should I really condemn this? Isn’t it obvious that this is a brutal and inhuman act?” Nurmagomedov told Russian state broadcaster Ruptly.
Where and when did something like this happen [been normal?] In Dagestan there are more than 30 nationalities. The majority are Islamic, but there are also Jews and Christians.
‘This has never happened in the 30-35 years I have been living in Dagestan.
‘People were being murdered five minutes away from my house. How can this be normal? My children live there, my mother lives there, my family lives there, my brother, family members live there five minutes away from that place. I was getting phone calls until the morning.
They said that people were being killed and that there were some [anti]-terrorist operations underway.’
In a post on Instagram following the attack, Nurmagomedov expressed his condolences to the victims and their loved ones.
“My condolences to all the relatives and friends of the victims,” he wrote.
May Allah save us all from such situations and grant us a peaceful heaven above our heads.
Nurmagomedov condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the victims earlier this week
‘Take good care of yourself and your loved ones, and let everyone look around them and at the children they are with and who is around them.
“Educating souls is more important than educating bodies.”
Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor when the pair fought for the UFC lightweight title, submitting his opponent with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round to maintain his undefeated record.