JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Khabib Nurmagomedov Opens Up About the Intensity of His Rivalry With Conor McGregor: 'I Just Tried to Bite His Heart'
Khabib reveals the personal fury behind his legendary clash with Conor McGregor. Discover the raw emotions that fueled their intense rivalry!
As the cage door clanged shut at UFC 229, tension crackled like static. Across from Conor McGregor stood Khabib Nurmagomedov, his gaze steely and intent. In those quiet moments before the storm, Khabib leaned toward Dana White, the UFC CEO. His message was simple yet chilling: "Today, you cannot protect him."
It wasn't just a fight for Khabib; it was personal. On the Inspire Me podcast, he revealed the depth of his emotion, saying he wanted to "bite his heart." This wasn't just about defending a title—it was about settling a score that had become deeply personal, fueled by months of escalating trash talk.
For Khabib, it was deeply personal. McGregor’s relentless insults targeted his family, religion, and everything he stood for, stirring up a fire in him that fans rarely saw. In a candid interview on the Inspire Me podcast, Khabib revealed just how intense his emotions were before the fight.
“It was like we just signed the contract, and it was like I prayed to God, just close the cage and me and him be alone,” he said. Khabib explained that he wanted nothing more than to be locked in with McGregor.
“Because you never know, someone can get injured, something can happen. You never know. I was preparing for this fight, and I was waiting for this moment. I was very happy,” he added.
When Khabib stepped into the octagon that night, his mission was clear. He turned to UFC CEO Dana White and told him, “Today, you cannot protect him.” It was a warning, a promise, and a declaration of intent all rolled into one. Khabib was determined to make McGregor pay for every word he had said. The fight itself was dominated by Khabib from start to finish. He almost knocked McGregor out on the feet before finally locking in a rear-naked choke that ended the bout in the fourth round.
But the win wasn’t enough for Khabib. The moment the fight was over, he jumped over the cage to confront McGregor’s team, who had also been involved in the heated buildup. The chaos that followed saw both camps brawling, security scrambling, and the crowd in shock. Khabib admitted that his emotions were still running high even after the submission. “It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling — I really wanted to bite someone’s heart,” he said. “Do you have that feeling in your life? I just tried to bite his heart.”
For Khabib, this was more than a sport; it was about honor and respect. “When the promotion promotes this fight, they have to expect something,” he explained. “When they know me, when they know all my team when they know we don’t play. We compete, we don’t play. You cannot play MMA. You can play soccer. You can play American football, you can play hockey. But you cannot play MMA. You have to fight. This is a fighting game.”
Looking back, Khabib sees the fight and the brawl that followed as a necessary response to everything that had happened. He didn’t regret his actions. Instead, he felt he had defended his honor and proved his point. Even now, with McGregor still trying to provoke him through social media, Khabib remains unfazed. He’s moved on, leaving that chapter behind, satisfied with how he handled one of the most intense rivalries in UFC history.
You May Like This
Latest Articles
