New footage from the Netflix documentary McGregor Forever shows a devastated Conor McGregor following his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Whether you’re a fan of Conor McGregor or not, it’s safe to say that the Irishman put UFC on the map for many of the more fair-weathered fighting fans. And following an illustrious career, McGregor came up against Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.
The Conor McGregor & Khabib rivalry
The bout, which took place at UFC 229, followed years of smack talk between the pair dating back to 2015 after Khabib stated he would “smash” McGregor.
The much-anticipated fight ended in victory for the Russian after submitting McGregor at 3:03 of the fourth round via rear-naked choke, but ended in chaos after Khabib hopped the Octagon fence to attack Dillon Danis in the crowd.
Conor McGregor backstage after losing to Khabib
In a clip from the documentary, which has now been released on Netflix, a forlorn McGregor can be seen slumped on the floor while being comforted by his entourage.
As the announcement of Khabib’s win rings around the changing room, UFC President Dana White attempts to console the former featherweight and lightweight champion by discussing the post-fight chaos, with the stricken fighter responding: “Who cares about that? That was handbags!”
In a moment of humility, the Irishman can be heard saying: “I was beat and that’s that.”
McGregor would never have the chance to rectify his defeat to Khabib after the Russian announced his retirement from UFC in 2020 after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
This led to multiple attempts from McGregor to goad the Russian out of retirement, with McGregor recently writing “I fight on” in a now-deleted tweet. However, the former UFC champion doubled down on his retirement after insisting that he cannot break his promise to his mother.
The Russian stated: “I follow not only this promise to my mother, I follow everything about my mother. You only have one mother. For me, it’s everything.”
McGregor is finally set to return to UFC this year against Michael Chandler after breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
The long-awaited return will see the pair first of all lead groups of up-and-coming fighters as coaches in The Ultimate Fighter season 31, before reuniting later in the year to fight.
