Key Takeaways
- Conor McGregor accused Khabib Nurmagomedov of scamming fans with a $4.4 million NFT sale themed around Dagestani culture.
- Nurmagomedov defended the NFT drop as a legitimate celebration of tradition, calling McGregor’s claims false and retaliatory.
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UFC star Conor McGregor publicly blasted longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov after the retired champion dropped a series of papakha-inspired NFTs, digital versions of the traditional Dagestani hat he made famous during UFC fight nights.
Social media posts claimed the release generated around $4.4 million, and after the sale, Nurmagomedov deleted earlier posts promoting it.
McGregor immediately accused Nurmagomedov of running a “scam,” claiming he used his late father’s name and Dagestani culture to take money from fans before wiping off promotional evidence. He called it “a shame and a stain” on Nurmagomedov’s father’s legacy.
“There is just no way good guy Khabib used his late father’s name, as well as Dagestan’s culture, to scam his fans and fire sell a bunch of digital NFTs online and then delete all of the content after they were sold, leaving his fans robbed of their money?” McGregor wrote.
Nurmagomedov fired back, calling McGregor an “absolute liar” and insisting the NFTs were legitimate “digital gifts” with real value, created to celebrate the Dagestani tradition. He said McGregor was trying to insult him years after losing their infamous 2018 fight.
McGregor also had his own history with crypto ventures.
The former UFC champion previously partnered with Real World Gaming DAO to launch a meme token called REAL, aiming to blend meme coin appeal with utility and transparent fundraising.
However, the presale fell short of its target, and the team eventually processed refunds for all bidders.