Conor McGregor seized an opportunity to take another swipe at Khabib Nurmagomedov when asked a random question about bears.
Neither of the two UFC legends has stepped foot inside the Octagon for three years but their rivalry shows little sign of ending.
McGregor was on the wrong end of a Khabib bear hugCredit: Getty Images – Getty
McGregor’s infamous showdown with Khabib at UFC 229 in 2018 remains the highest-selling bout in the company’s history.
McGregor ultimately lost the lightweight title fight via a neck crank in the fourth round – with weeks of bad blood between the pair throughout the build-up spilling over into a post-fight brawl.
The Irish superstar has never had a chance to exact revenge due to Khabib’s retirement in 2020 following his father Abdulmanap’s death.
McGregor’s many calls for a rematch have been blanked, leading the Notorious to mock the Eagle every chance he gets.
The former double champion’s latest jibe came while promoting the movie ‘Road House’, which marked the MMA icon’s acting debut.
Alongside Hollywood’s Jake Gyllenhaal, McGregor engaged in a game of ‘This or That’ when the pair were asked if they would rather fight a bear or gorilla.
The 35-year-old puffed out his cheeks before letting out a wide smile as he spotted an opportunity to bear down on his old foe.
McGregor told UNILAD: “I’ll go this [bear.] Fighting a bear is handy. I fought one that trained with bears back in the day.
Conor McGregor takes a dig at Khabib Nurmagomedov while answering if he’d rather fight a bear or a gorilla 💀
“Little fool, he went running.”
🎥 @UNILAD #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/P9sM25iiJt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 24, 2024
Khabib wrestled a bear as a child in Dagestan
Khabib developed his legendary grappling while tussling with the huge animal
“He’s only a little fool. He went running.”
Nightcrawler actor Gyllenhaal opted to face off with a grizzly as well before McGregor added: “They’re slower, they’re stupider.”
McGregor’s thinly veiled digs were in reference to Khabib wrestling a bear as a child, which has since become the stuff of legend.
Growing up in Russia, the future UFC lightweight champion – who retired with a perfect 29-0 – has shared videos of himself grabbing bear cubs when he was as young as nine.
Gyllenhaal was happy to bear witness to McGregor’s cheeky digCredit: Getty
McGregor meanwhile is training for his comeback, having not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
He recently revealed he had received a call about facing lightweight contender Michael Chandler this summer.
A few days later, Chandler claims he has also spoken with MMA’s premier promotion and now the biggest fight of his career is official.
“I’ve got the official announcement,” he told TMZ Sports last week.
“It’s happening this summer. I can’t tell you the actual date but it’s happening this summer. The official status is we have an agreement, we are fighting this summer.
“We’ll let the court of public opinion speculate on what the date is, but it’s definitely this summer.
“We’re giving you a window that we’re going to be fighting in.”