Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why he was disappointed with Conor McGregor’s performance at UFC 229

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently admitted that he was disappointed with the effort Conor McGregor put forth in their title fight at UFC 229.

McGregor challenged Nurmagomedov for the promotions lightweight title back in October of 2018, but wound up losing the contest by way of fourth round submission.

It was a rather humiliating loss for the former two-division champion in McGregor, as he had talked a ton of trash to ‘The Eagle’ in the leadup to their highly anticipated fight.

During a recent press conference in Moscow, Khabib Nurmagomedov explained why he was disappointed with the performance Conor McGregor put forth in their title bout at UFC 229.

“Conor’s trash talk? Yes, he had talked for a while (during the fight), but when I started pushing him, he immediately switched to the ‘It’s just business’ mode,” Khabib said (via MMANews). “I was even a bit disappointed. I expected him to be mentally tougher.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov continued:

“When I was ground-and-pounding him, talking to him, and he responded that it was just business, it looked like he was trying to calm me down to avoid a real beating, just like a son trying to justify himself in front of his angry father. Psychology is a very strong tool.”

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA) has not competed since scoring a submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Immediately following that win, ‘The Eagle’ shocked fight fans by announcing his retirement from the sport.

With that said, UFC President Dana White remains confident that he will be able to lure Khabib Nurmagomedov back to the Octagon for at least on more fight.

As for Conor McGregor, ‘Notorious‘ is set to return at next months UFC 257 event for a rematch with Dustin Poirier. The Irishman and ‘The Diamond’ first met in a featherweight contest at UFC 178, with McGregor emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.

What do you think of Khabib Nurmagomedov suggesting that he was disappointed with Conor McGregor’s effort at UFC 229? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!