Conor McGregor barely trained before his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That is according to estranged teammate Artem Lobov, who was friends with McGregor during 2018 as his most famous UFC bout with bitter rival Nurmagomedov approached.
McGregor ultimately fell short and was submitted in the legacy-defining bout which became the biggest in UFC history.
Several theories have been put forward as reasons for his defeat to ‘The Eagle’ including the fact his previous fight came in the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
But Lobov, who has since fallen out with McGregor, has now astonishingly claimed McGregor trained just twice a week to prepare for the undefeated Nurmagomedov.
“I know that fight bothers Conor because he didn’t train at all for that fight,” Lobov explained.
“Twice a week he was training for Khabib. I tried to get him to [Las Vegas] and said ‘We have to do this’, and he told me to f**k off, he just didn’t want to do it.
“He was in the wrong mindset, the party mindset. Training twice a week and that’s it.
“So when I saw the fight, I was like ‘Oh my god, if only you trained four times a week, you probably would’ve beaten him’.
“But imagine him in a full camp and the Conor that fought Eddie Alvarez. Imagine that Conor fighting Khabib. That’s what I want to see.”
Ultimately it was heartache for McGregor, who never did get a chance to try and put things right with the Russian.
Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 after beating Justin Gaethje and retaining his title, preserving his undefeated legacy.
UFC president Dana White tried on multiple occasions to lure ‘The Eagle’ back into the octagon with mega money offers.
But Nurgaomedov hasn’t ever returned to the UFC, largely down to his mother’s wishes after the death of his father Abdulmanap.
McGregor himself has fought just three times since that famous date in 2018, winning just once.
The Irishman’s last bout was a trilogy defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021, and he has yet to grace the cage since.
But Lobov believes should he make a comeback at the age of 38 and score a big statement KO win, it could well tempt Nurmagomedov back.
“I would love to see him come back, because I feel that if he was at 100 percent, we would be able to bring Khabib back as well,” Lobov continued.
“He would just need one fight, knock the guy out, and then the whole world will be talking to Khabib and getting him to come back.”
For now, McGregor and Nurmagedov’s rivalry is a figment of the past, but nonetheless remains in the history books.
And despite their persistent jibes to one another in the present day, it appears that the chapter of their careers where their paths crossed is now over.