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Conor McGregor’s return from a near-two years layoff at UFC 229 didn’t go as planned. “The Notorious” lost via fourth round submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov, failing to recapture the undisputed lightweight title that was on the line.
It was an event that was marred by a post-fight brawl, albeit being a record-breaking 2.4 million PPV buys, the reported highest in the company’s history to date.
But what wasn’t widely seen is the former champ-champ’s immediate reaction, which is now featured in his new Netflix documentary “McGregor Forever.”
Watch Conor McGregor’s immediate reaction after UFC 229
A clip of that said moment has been making the rounds online. As seen below, McGregor was visibly distraught as Bruce Buffer read the official decision.
UFC president Dana White then approached McGregor, talking about the post-fight brawl where the Irishman was jumped by one of Khabib’s teammates.
“After the shots you took when the kid jumped in,” White said.
But as far as Conor McGregor was concerned at the time, the loss weighed much more than the blindsiding he took.
“I don’t give f–k about that. I don’t give a bollocks about that. Those were handbags.”
White then responded, saying he didn’t see Khabib jump out of the cage to ignite the melee. McGregor, however, remains distraught by the loss.
“Who cares about that? That’s handbags. I was beat, and that’s that. I was beat where it mattered, and that’s it. Who cares all about that other shit?”
There was a heated build-up between the two camps dating back to six months prior at UFC 223, when Khabib had an altercation with McGregor’s then-close comrade Artem Lobov. Outside of the dolly incident, McGregor also hurled insults towards Khabib’s religion.
Nurmagomedov was slapped with a nine-month suspension and a $500,00 fine from the Nevada Commission.
Conor McGregor the “mad scientist”
As far as the documentary goes, McGregor was heaped praises by the film’s director Gotham Chopra. Chopra even made comparisons between the UFC superstar and some of today’s biggest-named athletes.
“I’d say what’s in common is this relentless work ethic,” Chopra told MMA Fighting. “This obsession with getting it right. I’ve seen it with Tom (Brady) in throwing sessions or Steph Curry in shooting sessions.
“You’re talking in Tom’s case the greatest of all time with quarterbacks, or Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all-time or in LeBron’s case, they are like mad scientists in the laboratory.
“I’ve seen this with Conor in his practice sessions. He’s obsessing over little things. [We shot a lot of footage in training] and Conor will look at the tape and every little movement. He’s a mad scientist. He’s a perfectionist.
“It’s like you’re supposed to work out for two hours and four hours later you’re still going. Always looking for that next level, that edge to get it right. That’s what’s in common.”
McGregor has yet to finalize his UFC return. He has been back on the sidelines since 2021, when he broke his leg at UFC 264 in his trilogy with Dustin Poirier.
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