Conor McGregor appeared to spit on the face of a fan in retaliation to a comment about Khabib Nurmagomedov directed towards him.
McGregor, 36, was caught on video strolling about what seems to be a luxury shopping centre, although the location of the incident is unconfirmed, when a fan shouts: “Let’s go Khabib!”
Khabib beat McGregor at UFC 229 in one of the biggest fights in combat sports historyCredit: GETTY
It is also not clear when the incident took place, but it is the first time footage has emerged of it. The clip is only 30 seconds long and its not clear what happened before or after either.
Another fan is caught in the video asking McGregor for a picture to which his security responds: “Not right now.”
McGregor then instantly turns around to confront the fan after hearing his comment regarding Khabib.
As he approaches the man, the footage catches an audible spit coming from the direction of McGregor, but the act fails to get any sort of response from the fan.
The Irishman then turns around with both hands in his pocket and says: “I spit in your face, what you do? Nothing,” while looking back at the stunned fan.
He then appears to say: “I spit in your face you fool,” and faces the fan several times before eventually walking away.
McGregor’s rivalry with Nurmagomedov in 2018 was one of the most intense in UFC history.
After knocking out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016, McGregor took a break from his primary sport, MMA, to explore the world of boxing and fight Floyd Mayweather.
He then returned not long after for the toughest fight of his career at UFC 229 in October 2018 against Nurmagomedov, which he ended up losing via fourth-round submission.
McGregor’s feud with Nurmagomedov got personal before their fight was even confirmed, as the former went viral for attacking the latter’s bus when he won UFC gold for the first time.
McGregor went viral for attacking a bus containing Nurmagomedov in 2018
‘The Eagle’ had just secured a unanimous decision victory over Al Iaquinta to win the UFC lightweight title when McGregor attacked the bus carrying the Russian and other fighters away from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York at UFC 223.
The incident injured several fighters and staff members on board the bus at the time and McGregor was sentenced to complete an anger management course and five days of community service for his actions.
Things also got heated in the aftermath of their bout too, as several members of the police were forced to intervene when McGregor was attacked by members of Nurmagomedov’s team after he was submitted.
Some of Nurmagomedov’s coaches stormed the octagon after the bout to throw punches at McGregor, who was forced to fend for himself.
McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
He was scheduled to make his highly anticipated MMA return this past June in the main event of UFC 303 against Michael Chandler.
Thousands of MMA fans have condemned McGregor for his actions
He has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021
However, the former two-division UFC champion disappointingly pulled out of the bout after injuring his toe in sparring.
UFC President Dana White provided a worrying update on McGregor’s this month.
“Conor? I’m not sure when Conor will be back,” he sighed at UFC Saudi Arabia’s post-fight press conference.
This isn’t the first time McGregor has been involved in an intense interaction with a fan.
Charges against McGregor were dropped in May 2019 when he was accused of smashing and stealing a fan’s phone outside a hotel in Miami Beach.
McGregor was arrested in March of the same year after the altercation with a fan, Ahmed Abdirzak, who had tried to video the UFC star outside the Fontainebleau hotel.
At the time, it was alleged that McGregor walked up to Mr Abdirzak and extended his hand before punching the phone out of Mr Abdirzak’s hand.
Prosecutor Khalil Madani said: “The victim does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case.”
During his time out of action, McGregor has been actively promoting his up-and-coming bare knuckle fighting league.
McGregor became a minority owner of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in April 2024 and has been spotted at several of their events, including one in Newcastle last November.
BKFC hosted their biggest event to date, KnuckleMania V, in January, and McGregor told the promotion’s founder David Feldman to ‘make a date’ for his bare knuckle debut against Jeremy Stephens, who had just beaten Alvarez in the main event.