The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov stays one of the crucial heated in UFC historical past. Their feud peaked with their battle at UFC 229 in 2018, which has left an enduring impression on the game and, in response to UFC veteran Chael Sonnen, could have had a deeper affect on McGregor’s life.
Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and smash his life?
The dangerous blood between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov started years earlier than their battle. Tensions escalated in 2018 when McGregor attacked a bus carrying Khabib and his workforce, resulting in authorized bother for the Irish fighter. Their extremely anticipated conflict at UFC 229 grew to become the best-selling pay-per-view occasion in UFC historical past.
Within the battle, Khabib dominated McGregor along with his grappling and finally submitted him within the fourth spherical. The drama didn’t finish there, as Khabib jumped out of the cage to confront McGregor’s workforce, sparking a chaotic post-fight brawl. Chael Sonnen, UFC veteran, asks:
“Did Khabib Nurmagomedov give Conor McGregor PTSD and ruin his life? Conor McGregor has lashed out in various ways at Khabib. The juxtaposition here, guys, is—however, however, however hot you want to be—Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, you’re going to attack a guy and threaten to bite off his testicles, right? I mean, that’s about as vicious of a line as there’s ever been.”
Chael Sonnen not too long ago shared his ideas on how this rivalry might need affected McGregor. He pointed to McGregor’s erratic habits over time, together with late-night social media outbursts that usually contain private assaults on Khabib and his household. These posts are often deleted hours later, which Sonnen believes may level to deeper emotional struggles. Sonnen defined:
“And he’s gone out on a coke or booze binge, or whatever you call it, at 3:00 in the morning, woken up at 8:00 a.m., and deleted the things that he said—racial epithets, things about family. You’ve got to be real careful when you deal with culture.”
Sonnen additionally questioned why McGregor continues to lash out at Khabib regardless of there being no probability of a rematch. With Khabib retired from MMA, there’s no aggressive motive for the 2 to cross paths once more. Sonnen speculated that lingering trauma from their battle is perhaps at play. He continued:
I’ve by no means seen Conor play earlier than when there wasn’t a payoff. There was no probability of these two touching one another in a aggressive one-on-one state of affairs. They won’t a lot as play horseshoes in opposition to one another on this lifetime. So what’s all of it for?
Since dropping to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor’s profession has been marked by ups and downs. Whereas he stays considered one of MMA’s greatest stars, accidents and inconsistent performances have slowed his momentum. Exterior the Octagon, he has confronted authorized points and criticism for his habits, together with allegations of substance abuse and confrontational actions.
In the meantime, Khabib has retired undefeated and shifted his focus to teaching and selling MMA occasions. The 2 fighters have taken very totally different paths since their notorious conflict. Sonnen concludes with:
“Unless there’s some post-traumatic stress that is left over—and it seems like it’s ruining Conor’s life.”