UFC News: Khabib Nurmagomedov feels Conor McGregor was already "broken" before their UFC 229 fight

Khabib and Conor McGregor's championship bout at UFC 229
Khabib and Conor McGregor's championship bout at UFC 229

What's the story?

In a recent exclusive interview with Moscow's Channel One Station, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed to have believed that his arch-rival Conor McGregor was already "broken" before their fight at UFC 229.

In case you didn't know...

At UFC 229, former UFC Two-Division Champion Conor McGregor suffered just his second defeat in the Octagon after losing out to current UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission in the fourth round of their title fight.

Khabib, who prior to this fight won the 155-pound title at UFC 223, dominated The Notorious One from start to finish, thanks to his outstanding ground game as The Eagle eventually made McGregor tap out to a neck-crank submission.

Shortly after scoring the biggest win of his Professional MMA career, Khabib ignited a wild brawl against Conor McGregor's fellow teammate Dillon Danis, as both fight camps quickly got involved in the scuffle before security escorted both fighters out of the T-Mobile Arena.

The heart of the matter

While speaking with Moscow's Channel One Station, Khabib Nurmagomedov stated the following about Conor McGregor seemingly being "broken" before their fight at UFC 229.

“A man can say anything, but when you get face to face and look into your eyes… you can understand what is happening there. He (Conor McGregor) pretended to look into my eyes, but I felt that he was looking between the eyes. He did not look into my eyes he was broken.”

Khabib then continued stating that the very moment he stepped inside the cage with McGregor, the Dagestani looked into the eyes of a broken man in the form of Conor McGregor.

“When I went inside the cage looked at his condition. I told my brother he was already broken. Brother tells me ‘Do not think about it, tune in.’ I replied, ‘I say this to reduce your worries.'”

What's next?

Conor McGregor has already noted that he is looking forward to the rematch with Khabib, who on the other hand has threatened to quit the UFC if his teammates are fired from the promotion.

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Edited by Sripad