"You've got to find a way to handle it" - Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on mental state before infamous Conor McGregor fight press conference

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently discussed his mentality heading to the pre-fight press conference for UFC 229.

The rivalry between 'The Eagle' and Conor McGregor was one of the fiercest in MMA history, marked by intense animosity. They were scheduled to face each other in the octagon at UFC 229 on Oct. 6, 2018. Ahead of the bout, two press conferences were held, with the first taking place on Nurmagomedov's birthday, Sept. 20.

During episode #28 of the Hustle Show, Nurmagomedov reflected on his mindset before that press conference, saying:

"The press conference landed on my birthday, if I'm not mistaken. I told [Zubaira Tukhugov], 'There's two weeks left. What's the point of talking to [McGregor] now?' And we couldn't even reply in the same language he was speaking in... That's too low a level. If you respond to him now, they won't let us fight anyway. If I jump him, there are a million security guards there."

He added:

"[McGregor] wanted me to lose control. In my head, I was focused on making weight, not getting injured... When I walked in, I already knew, no matter what he says, I'm not going to react, because this is a press conference, not a fight. We came here to talk; otherwise, don't come at all... You've got to find a way to handle it."

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (17:22):

At UFC 229, Nurmagomedov triumphed over McGregor by securing a fourth-round submission victory.

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When Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach expressed disappointment with Conor McGregor's "dirty tactics"

Ahead of his bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor had a few verbal battles with the Russian fighter. Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, believes that McGregor crossed some lines in those back-and-forth conversations.

During an episode of the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry, Mendez recounted the Irishman’s antics, saying:

"[McGregor] hasn't been the same after that loss to Khabib... Obviously, I don't really like him because obviously he used dirty tactics. [If] You want to talk about a fighter, go ahead. But [McGregor] talked about religion, he talked about family, he talked about country. I don't respect fighters doing that. I love a fighter that sticks to the fighter... Leave my kids out of it, leave my wife out of it. What do they have to do [with it]?"

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (1:00:09):