UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s recent comments have not gone unnoticed by Conor McGregor, who blasted the Dagestani on social media.
In the lead-up to UFC 294, Makhachev recently sat down for a media interaction. During his time there, the 31-year-old spoke about a champion’s mindset that is required to accept any fight, regardless of the circumstances.
Makhachev then took a dig at the UFC’s number one pound-for-pound fighter Jon Jones and accused him of avoiding a fight against Chael Sonnen in the past.
Makhachev also questioned the legitimacy of Jones’ place at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. He said:
“You know this is what a UFC champion has to do… If you’re a real champion, you have to take a fight, doesn’t matter how many days, who it’s gonna be. Not like your pound-for-pound champion [Jon Jones], when they gave him Chael Sonnen. If you’re a real champion, you have to fight. They put him [at] number one… who’s he beat in his last five fights? we don’t have some name from top pound-for-pound rankings. And I just want to say about the rankings, about all these things, this is bulls**t and I’m not following anymore.”
Conor McGregor was not happy with the Dagestani’s comments and hurled insults at him on social media saying:
“This guy is a gumbeen. This is what happens when cousins have s*x and have a child together. This is the result.”
What’s next for Islam Makhachev and Conor McGregor?
Islam Makhachev is all set to defend his lightweight throne against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. The fight will be a rematch and will be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The two athletes’ first encounter was a highly competitive affair that ended with Makhachev securing a unanimous decision victory.
The Dagestani was originally supposed to lock horns against former champion Charles Oliveira on October 21. But ‘Do Bronx’ withdrew from the fight due to an injury, resulting in Volkanovski stepping up on short notice.
Conor McGregor, on the other hand, recently re-entered the USADA drug testing pool. Although no official announcement has been made yet, MMA fans might possibly get to see ‘The Notorious’ back in action soon.