Khabib Nurmagomedov Details Mental Warfare Ahead of Fight With Conor McGregor

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Khabib Nurmagomedov needed some mental toughness to deal with Conor McGregor’s mind games going into their UFC 229 title fight. 

Nurmagomedov and McGregor have one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport, one that transcends the Octagon and the UFC. Known for his mental warfare, McGregor came at Nurmagomedov with everything as the rivalry was brewing. The tension peaked when McGregor flew down with his crew to Brooklyn in a private jet and threw a dolly at a bus carrying Nurmagomedov to his title fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223. 

The two were finally matched up at UFC 229, the highest-selling UFC pay-per-view of all time, in October 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Nurmagomedov dominated “Notorious” before submitting him in the fourth round. “The Eagle” subsequently jumped the cage and attacked McGregor’s team as the entire arena erupted in chaos. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov’s teammates jumped inside the Octagon and attacked McGregor before security intervened. Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he was mentally in the perfect state heading into the fight. During the final staredown before the bell, Nurmagomedov could sense that McGregor knew his mind games hadn’t worked.

Khabib: McGregor Knew Mind Games Hadn't Worked

“Mentally, I was in the best state possible leading up to the fight,” Nurmagomedov said on the "Hustle Show" (translation via Red Corner MMA). “I don’t think it could have been done any better. I knew I did everything right… The staredown in the Octagon, when the referee brings the fighters together, he wasn’t looking at me. He realized everything he had done wouldn’t work. And he would have to fight me. It would be about skill versus skills, not mental games.”

While most fighters bury the hatchet after sharing the Octagon, McGregor and Nurmagomedov have a mutual dislike for each other. McGregor continues to take unprovoked digs at Nurmagomedov and others from his team to this day.  

Khabib explains how all of Conor McGregor’s usual mind games fell flat once they faced off in the Octagon. 🦅

(via @AdamZubayraev ) pic.twitter.com/zKoKEZPWrK

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 22, 2025