Ben Askren thinks Conor McGregor carries envy in his heart.
McGregor vs. The World
It’s difficult to picture the UFC superstar caring about what any other fighter has when the MMA world is still very much at his fingertips ahead of his return this summer. McGregor, 35, mounts his comeback fight vs. Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29th.
It wouldn’t be a true McGregor fight if “The Notorious” wasn’t making the rounds on social media, picking fights with the inter web as we count the days til we see him in the Octagon once again. Kamaru Usman and Ilia Topuria were among the several fighters to be name-dropped by McGregor in his latest stream.
Conor McGregor gives his thoughts on Kamaru Usman and Ilia Topuria 😭
“Kamaru Usman? F*** him, he’s a bum.
Opinions on Topuria? F*** him too. Don’t give a f*** about him either.”
🎥 @Duelbits #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/L75kvTgQ6B
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 20, 2024
“This is what Conor does,” Askren said of McGregor on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “…Every Saturday night he gets on Twitter and he craps on people. So, not surprising at all to me. He definitely was under the influence of something. He’s kinda a funny guy. That’s why he caught on so well. ‘Cause he’s hilarious.”
Along with Topuria and Usman, McGregor’s former opponent and his most heated one at that, Khabib Nurmagomedov would also catch some strays. McGregor went off on Nurmagomedov upon hearing the former champion allegedly owes the Russian government millions of dollars in taxes.
McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought in 2018 but their rivalry never came to an end even with the Octagon doors closed shut at UFC 229. Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round of their encounter but peace hasn’t been found, not after Nurmagomedov’s retirement in 2020 and probably not for years to come.
McGregor’s Bone To Pick With Khabib
Askren doesn’t think McGregor will ever come to terms with Nurmagomedov, not only because of their past history, but maybe because Nurmagomedov was able to be the fighter the Irishman wasn’t.
“He’s gonna be 80 years old attacking Khabib because he’s jealous, of course,” Askren said of McGregor. “No doubt in my mind at all. He’s got all the money in the world deep down in his heart, what he wanted to be was the most respected fighting champion on planet earth. No money can make up for that. That’s what Khabib is. Khabib is a fighting champion that everyone has a deep amount of respect for ’cause of the way he lived his life.
“Conor wishes that he had that much respect for himself, but he is too busy [taking drugs]. He just can’t control himself. So, of course he’s jealous of Khabib.”
Greatness can be defined in many ways and for Khabib Nurmagomedov, it doesn’t get much better than retiring at 29-0 with three title defenses under your belt. Jealous of his success or not, McGregor looks to add on to his ever-growing legacy against Michael Chandler at UFC 303.
