Conor McGregor suspension: Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to bitter rival Conor McGregor's 18-month suspension

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took a slight dig at bitter rival Conor McGregor after the latter was suspended for 18 months.

McGregor was handed a suspension from the UFC’s anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD).

Khabib, who fought McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018, reposted the news on his Instagram stories.

Check out Khabib’s story below.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Conor McGregor's suspension (Image credit: Khabib Nurmagomedov on Instagram @khabib_nurmagomedov)

Khabib and McGregor had been at each other’s throats going into UFC 229. ‘The Notorious’ had flung a dolly at a bus carrying his rival and other fighters before the event.

Khabib dominated McGregor in the fight. After submitting ‘The Notorious’, Khabib threw his mouthpiece at the Irishman. Things got out of control as both parties got into the octagon, leading to a massive brawl.

Several fighters, including Khabib and McGregor, were suspended and fined for their actions after the fight.

Why did the UFC suspend Conor McGregor?

CSAD confirmed that McGregor had been suspended for three whereabouts failures. The Irishman did not provide accurate information regarding his location. He missed three tests, which were scheduled on June 13, September 19 and September 20, 2024.

McGregor’s suspension is retroactive and started from September 20, 2024, and will end on March 20, 2026.

The suspension would be lifted about three months before the UFC White House card. Donald Trump confirmed that the card would take place on his birthday, June 14, 2026.

McGregor claimed he had already negotiated a deal to fight on the White House card. The former champion is interested in a return to combat sports and was even keen on fighting in BKFC, the promotion he partly owns.

However, UFC president Dana White threw a spanner in the works. White refuted McGregor’s claims that he was already on the fight card and had negotiated with the White House. The UFC president went on to say no negotiations with the White House would start before February.

The former champion suggested that he had a six-month plan to prepare for the White House event. The Irishman also recently announced an indefinite hiatus from social media.

About the author

Saiyed Adeem Karim is the MMA CM for Sportskeeda and started his sportswriting journey right here.

He started his career working for one of India's biggest FMCG companies. He has also worked in creative agencies, and several of his copies have been used in a range of promotions and advertisements.

Saiyed has written for several football sites between his SK stints. He also wrote WWE and MMA articles before managing teams at Mediareferee/Soccersouls.

When he isn't managing the MMA and Boxing teams at SK, Saiyed tries to relax by playing a ton of FIFA and Racing games.

Saiyed is also a big football and F1 fan and has been supporting Liverpool and McLaren since the late 90s.

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