Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov demonstrated the depth of his principles by cutting ties with a close training partner who associated with his rival Conor McGregor, according to veteran referee John McCarthy.
McCarthy revealed on the Weighing In podcast that Josh Thompson, who previously served as one of Khabib’s cornermen in early UFC bouts, faced serious consequences for hosting McGregor on his podcast.
“Josh was one of his main training partners,” McCarthy explained. “In fact, Josh was one of the guys that cornered him in his early UFC”
The incident highlighted the lasting impact of the intense rivalry that culminated at UFC 229 in October 2018, where Nurmagomedov secured a submission victory over McGregor.
“Khabib was so mad at Josh for doing a podcast where we had Conor McGregor on, he didn’t talk to him. He said ‘That’s it. I’m not talking to you anymore,'” McCarthy shared.
The referee witnessed the tension firsthand: “I had Josh standing here and I had Khabib standing there, and he says ‘Brother we can’t talk.’ And I go, ‘Are you kidding?’ And he’s like ‘Yeah we can’t talk right now.'”
Though Thompson and Nurmagomedov eventually reconciled, McCarthy emphasized Khabib’s unwavering stance. “He takes it serious as hell. You can’t put him down for that. It’s the way he lives his life, he’s true to himself, he’s true to his people, he’s true to everybody that he helps train. It’s all good.”
The animosity between the former opponents remains evident. In a recent interview with the PFL Nurmagomedov questioned Ireland’s presence in MMA: “Ireland don’t have fighters, brother. Let’s be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. And who else?”
He added: “You come to Dagestan, you can understand. So many organizations don’t even sign Dagestan fighters because they worry that everyone can become a champion. Let’s be honest. Dagestan level of MMA is here (up high). But Ireland level, not even half of Dagestan level.”
