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Topics: UFC, Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA
Alex Brotherton
Topics: UFC, Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA
The coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov has made an admission about Conor McGregor ahead of the Irishman's UFC return.
McGregor has been focused on his fledgling acting career in recent months, but soon he is set to return to doing what he does best.
The Irish mixed martial artist is set to appear on the card at UFC 303 in Las Vegas at the end of June almost three years since his last fight.
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McGregor last stepped foot in the octagon in July 2021, when he broke his ankle in a defeat to Dustin Poirier.
His eagerly anticipated return could well be the moment of the year in UFC, although not everyone is willing to bow down to the 35-year-old.
McGregor developed a fierce rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov, with their 2018 fight regarded as one of the biggest and most heated battles in UFC history.
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The pair have traded verbal bards ever since Khabib won with a fourth-round submission, and that hasn't stopped despite the Degestani star retiring.
Speaking to King Casino Bonus, Khabib's former coach Javier Mendez admitted that McGregor was a great opponent to fight.
"Conor brings a lot of attention and he is of course getting a lot of attention at the moment with his movie which came out at number one," Mendez said.
"Love him or hate him - I don't like him - he is a star. I don't like the way he acts but he's a great fighter. You can't take that from him. He's got four of the highest pay per views in the UFC.
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"I don't like him but he’s a great opponent for anyone, he’s a great dance partner because he builds the animosity, look at the animosity Conor built with Khabib, then the jumping over the cage that Khabib did, that made Khabib a bigger star having a dance partner like Conor.
"Good versus bad. You need a narrative to follow."