Vice continues to push UFC and MMA content through their programming, and following a full season of Dark Side of the Cage they’ve now delved deep into the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov feud on their new show The Grudge.
The Grudge breaks down some of the biggest rivalries in sports from Shaq vs. Kobe to Owens vs. McNabb. But those feel like small potatoes compared to McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov, which resulted in three felony charges, a post-fight riot, and more than a few credible death threats being thrown around over the past seven years.
The latter half of Conor and Khabib’s feud is well documented, but The Grudge breaks down how the two men went from mutual admirers and taking selfies together to hating each other. It all stems from McGregor getting Dana White Privilege and being thrust directly into a lightweight title shot while Nurmagomedov had to win nine times at 155 pounds to finally fight for the belt.
After McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez in November 2016, he declared he’d take some time off to celebrate the birth of his first child. That led to a campaign from Team Khabib to say “The Notorious” was a chicken and ducking him.
“Conor says he’s having a baby when all he does is go to clubs and party,” Khabib declared on X (then known as Twitter). “Excuse after excuse.”
McGregor’s teammate and (former) close friend Artem Lobov defended him on Russian television.
“Khabib is as far from Conor as he is from China,” Lobov said. “Conor is the real champion. Champion , it’s your mentality. Champion, it’s how your heart beats … Who is chicken? Who is scared?”
That led to the infamous confrontation where Khabib and his teammates surrounded Lobov at the UFC 223 fighter hotel. Khabib was set to fight Al Iaquinta for McGregor’s soon-to-be-vacated title. Artem was on the undercard fighting Alex Caceres.
“You called me a p—sy, didn’t you?” an angry Nurmagomedov asked, his hand resting heavy on Lobov’s neck.
McGregor would round up a private jet’s worth of teammates to fly to New York City, where the infamous ‘bus incident’ took place and the rivalry between the two hit a whole new level.
You can watch The Grudge through Vice TV’s website using a free pass. Keep your eyes peeled for the next MMA related episode when they cover Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate.
