'Crafty' Conor McGregor Brags He 'Got Away' After Acting Dirty Against Khabib at UFC 229

Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor has publicly admitted to making an illegal move against Russia’s Khabib Nurmagomedov during their epic UFC 229 event 10 months ago.

McGregor took to Twitter on Saturday to criticise the referee after Gavin Tucker landed an illegal knee on Seung Woo Choi during a featherweight bout at UFC 240.

“You check on the fighter that was illegally kneed to the head on the ground. Not get into a game of trying to prove the knee was legal with the fighter who committed the assault,” Conor wrote, but minutes later his anger turned on referee Herb Dean, who officiated his fight with Khabib.

“Herb should have checked on Khabibs eyeball after I kneed it full wack from bottom as well,” he tweeted.

“I used the mount defense leg as a spring board right into the eye socket. But I was to [sic] crafty with it and got away Scotty. I call it the big poppa pump into the eyeball.”

Herb should have checked on Khabibs eyeball after I kneed it full wack from bottom as well. I used the mount defense leg as a spring board right into the eye socket. But I was to crafty with it and got away Scotty.
I call it the big poppa pump into the eyeball. And your brothers

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 28, 2019

But plenty of UFC fans were quick to remind Conor that he ended up losing the fight.

You got killed in that fight lol

— Steven Greene (@vibfun239) July 28, 2019

If it wasn't for Herb, Khabib would have killed you in that cage

— SadHill (@Sad_Hill1) July 28, 2019

Conor and Khabib battled it out in Las Vegas, Nevada last October. Their bout had been preceded by months of bad blood between the two camps, and was hyped up as one of the biggest matches in UFC history.

Khabib choked out the Irishman in the fourth round, and Dean said that while Conor did commit several fouls, they were not worth stepping in.

"Any time I intervene, I run the risk of artificially affecting the outcome of the fight,” he explained. "In the Conor McGregor-Khabib fight, the fouls by Conor did not affect Khabib enough to warrant risking disadvantaging him by intervening."

The Russian fighter immediately leapt out of the octagon to target a member of McGregor’s entourage in the crowd, while The Notorious was attacked in the cage.

Both were slapped with lengthy bans for the brawl; Conor was fined $50,000 and Khabib received ten times the penalty.

The former is currently on the mend from a left hand injury, which has postponed his comeback.

Conor has repeatedly stated that he wants a rematch, and UFC boss Dana White said this week it would be “absolutely possible”.

It remains to be seen if Khabib is willing to fight again. The Russian, who is said to have recently become the UFC’s highest-paid athlete, is currently preparing to face interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, in Abu Dhabi in September.