We haven't had much in the way of build up so far for Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 229, with the Dubliner reportedly refusing to do media for what is being billed as the biggest fight in the UFC's history.
McGregor has however taken some potshots at Team Khabib on his social media accounts, calling the Dagestani's father Abdulmanap 'a coward', in a post making reference to the bus attack which the Dubliner perpetrated. Abdulmanap was a passenger on the bus which McGregor attempted to break into:
According to RT, the Russian was not perturbed by McGregor's words, stating that 30-year-old's broadsides are not affecting Khabib or his team:
Mentally they can’t get (under our skin). In that aspect we are standing firm. We are even letting certain things pass. But we are not forgiving anything. The cage and the fight are still ahead.
Interestingly Abdulmanap went on to posit Khabib's potential match with Tony Ferguson as the bout his team are most looking forward to getting, arguing that despite the financial lure of a McGregor fight, a match up against Ferguson would be the more intriguing spectacle:
For the hype, for the money, to bury Conor’s era it (the situation) is even better for us. But if we talk purely sports-wise — we still want the Ferguson fight. I really want him to come back and defeat (Anthony) Pettis.
The intrigue is still there, and the whole world is interested (in the Ferguson fight). It would be 11 and 0 Khabib [in the UFC], 11 and 0 for him. And the fight that hasn’t happened yet.
Ferguson takes on Anthony Pettis on the same card as Nurmagomedov and McGregor, the Dagestani fighter has been scheduled to fight 'El Cucuy' four times previously but all have been called off due to either injuries or weight cut issues.
