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.
UFC star Conor McGregor has publicly condemned his 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 on UFC fight nights.
Social media posts claimed the release grossed approximately $4.4 million, and after the sale, Nurmagomedov deleted previous posts advertising it.
McGregor immediately accused Nurmagomedov of a ‘scam’, claiming he used his late father’s name and Dagestani culture to take money from fans before wiping away promotional material. He called it “a shame and a stain” on the legacy of Nurmagomedov’s father.
“There is no way that the good guy Khabib used his late father’s name and Dagestan’s culture to scam his fans and sell some digital NFTs online and then delete all the contents after they were sold, robbing his fans of their money?” wrote McGregor.
Nurmagomedov fired back, calling McGregor an “absolute liar” and insisting that the NFTs were legitimate “digital gifts” with real value, created to celebrate Dagestani tradition. He said McGregor tried to insult him years after he lost 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 combine the appeal of meme coins with utility and transparent fundraising.
However, the pre-sale did not meet its intended purpose and the team ultimately processed refunds for all bidders.