Conor McGregor made headlines when he rushed the cage at Bellator 187, after seeing his teammate Charlie Ward drop his opponent in the first round. “Notorious” quickly entered a confrontation with referee Marc Goddard while in the cage, leading many fighters to criticize the UFC champion’s actions. Now UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has come forward with his thoughts.
Speaking on the Talk and Talker podcast, “The Eagle” explained that having a confrontation with the Bellator referee was not acceptable.
“One time, if you try with him it’s okay but you see these guys don’t want fight with you and he cannot fight with you. Why would you try more and more? I don’t understand this one. When you come to inside the cage because you’re very happy about your friend’s win, it’s okay but try to fight with referee, this is not good.”
The fighter continued:
“Yes, it’s okay, but not all the time. He does this all the time.” Khabib Nurmagomedov continued. “In Ultimate Fighter show, in Bellator show, I don’t understand why he can do but other guys cannot do. Because he’s Conor McGregor? He cannot do this. The UFC has to make him humble a little bit because other guys say, ‘Oh, Conor do this? He can do this but why I not?’ This is why sometimes you have to follow rules when you’re a big name, because a lot of people are watching you.
“When you jump inside the ring, okay, but when you try to fight with referee, this is not good.”
