TLDR
- Joe Rogan says Conor McGregor would need a private, genuine apology to earn Khabib Nurmagomedov’s forgiveness
- The feud stems from UFC 229 when McGregor attacked Nurmagomedov’s family and faith during promotion
- Dillon Danis was attacked by Nurmagomedov’s team at UFC 322 while sitting cageside
- Islam Makhachev believes Nurmagomedov “broke” McGregor’s mind and he will never fight again
- McGregor’s coach Javier Mendez says Danis was making fun of the Muslim faith before the attack
Joe Rogan believes the only way to end the bitter feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov is through a private apology meeting. The UFC commentator discussed the ongoing rivalry on episode 2414 of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The tension between both fighters dates back to their UFC 229 fight in October 2018. McGregor targeted Nurmagomedov’s family and religious beliefs during the promotional phase. Nurmagomedov won by submission but the fight ended in chaos when he jumped over the cage to attack McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis.
The rivalry flared up again at UFC 322 on Saturday night. Members of Nurmagomedov’s team attacked Danis while he sat cageside during the event. The incident happened before Islam Makhachev’s welterweight title defense against Jack Della Maddalena.
Rogan explained that Nurmagomedov does not view trash talk as part of fight promotion. The Dagestani fighter takes personal insults seriously and does not forgive disrespect easily. When guest Brian Simpson asked if an apology could resolve the situation, Rogan said it would need to happen behind closed doors.
“It would have to be in private and you would have to really mean it,” Rogan stated. “You’d have to convince Khabib that you really meant it because he just doesn’t play that game. That talking shit to sell a fight game, he doesn’t play that game.”
What Caused the UFC 322 Attack
Javier Mendez, who coaches Islam Makhachev, explained why Danis was attacked at the event. Mendez told Submission Radio that Danis was making fun of the Muslim faith while sitting in the fighter section near Nurmagomedov’s team.
Mendez described videos showing Danis displaying inappropriate images involving Makhachev and manager Ali Abdelaziz. “Stop picking on people’s religion, man. That’s what he was doing, he was making fun of it,” Mendez said. He questioned why Danis would sit near the team while provoking them with religious disrespect.
The AKA founder and head coach added that Danis should have known he was asking for trouble. Danis sat in the area where Nurmagomedov’s team was located at UFC 322.
McGregor’s Future in Question
Islam Makhachev shared his thoughts on McGregor’s fighting future during a conversation with Complex. The UFC welterweight champion believes McGregor will never compete in the octagon again. Makhachev thinks the loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 damaged McGregor’s competitive spirit permanently.
“Khabib broke his mind, you know. This guy is not coming back,” Makhachev said. He first made this prediction two years ago and stands by it today.
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021. He is currently serving an 18-month suspension under the UFC’s anti-doping program. The suspension ends in March 2026, and McGregor has expressed interest in fighting Michael Chandler on the UFC White House card.
