Khabib Nurmagomedov needed one thing against Conor McGregor: composure.
This Saturday sees the second installment of Dagestan vs. Ireland in the UFC, as Ian Machado Garry challenges Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title.
That UFC 330 main event comes over a century of numbered cards on from Nurmagomedov’s battle with McGregor at UFC 229. And it is safe to say the 2018 rivalry was much more heated, so much so that it ended in a wild brawl.
While that was instigated by ‘The Eagle’ attacking his foe’s corner, he kept his cool long enough to ensure he secured a victory inside the Octagon first.
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Has Islam Makhachev’s UFC run surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s?
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Khabib Nurmagomedov stresses the importance of ‘composure’ during his Conor McGregor feud
The build-up to UFC 229 was a controversial one, with McGregor engaging in trash talk that many deemed to have crossed the line.
The tension was palpable in the days leading up to the fight, but the Dagestani legend did not let his emotions take over once he became locked in the cage with ‘The Notorious’.
Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in round four after showcasing his usual dominance. It was only then that he let his full frustration out by attacking Danis in his challenger’s corner.
Now retired, ‘The Eagle’ recently looked back on his most storied rivalry and admitted things would have played out differently if he did not stay composed during the main event itself.
“Back then and even now, I still keep a cool head (about McGregor),” Nurmagomedov said during an interview with Lex Fridman.
“When you let your emotions take over, when they’re off the chart and you completely lose control, that’s a very bad place. You will tire out faster, you will fall for any kind of bait, and so on.
“I just knew that I needed to stay calm and composed, just stick to the plan no matter what happened,” he continued. “This is a very, very dangerous moment, when you give in to your emotions. You have to control them.
“The second you let it all slip, everything becomes a total mess. So, once the fight was finally done, I just let all my emotions out.”
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Eight years later, McGregor continues to target Nurmagomedov with trash talk online and during interviews.
He most recently spoke about his ex-rival negatively days before his ultimately failed comeback in the main event of UFC 329.
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