Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov entered public opposition in early April 2018 during UFC 223 fight week. On April 3, 2018 a video-captured confrontation between Khabib and Artem Lobov at the fighters' hotel—Lobov being a close McGregor training partner—served as an initial flashpoint (khabib-lobov-hotel-confrontation) [7]. Two days later, on April 5, 2018, McGregor and associates entered the Barclays Center loading dock and attacked a bus carrying Khabib and other fighters; McGregor threw a metal equipment dolly through a window, injuring fighters and prompting widespread condemnation including Dana White's description of the incident as "the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company" (barclays-bus-attack-2018) [1]. The bus attack produced criminal investigations, eyewitness accounts and later a guilty plea: McGregor pleaded guilty to a disorderly-conduct charge in Brooklyn on July 26, 2018, receiving five days of community service and an anger-management evaluation (mcgregor-guilty-plea-brooklyn-2018) [2]. Both were top lightweight figures—McGregor the outspoken SBG Ireland headliner and Khabib the Dagestani grappler—so the incidents drew international attention and affected UFC 223's fight card when injured fighters withdrew, shifting media focus from sport to legal and safety questions that carried through the 2018 promotion cycle [1][7][9].
As of the most recent reporting, the feud is dormant in competitive terms: Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA following a title defense in October 2020 and has repeatedly indicated he will not return specifically to rematch McGregor [4]. Conor McGregor has continued his high-profile career and publicly called for a rematch, but no fight has been scheduled between them [9][4]. Legal remnants have largely closed: McGregor’s July 26, 2018 guilty plea resolved the criminal charge from the April bus incident [2], and Michael Chiesa’s civil suit tied to the bus attack was discontinued via settlement on December 2, 2022 [8]. The parties have made no public, mutual reconciliation; reporting suggests the Nurmagomedov camp remains dismissive of a competitive rematch [4][9].
From McGregor's viewpoint, the dispute began as retaliatory action tied to his teammate Artem Lobov's hotel confrontation and grew amid heated promotional tactics; he has framed some comments as part of fight promotion but accepted legal consequences for the bus incident [7][1][2]. McGregor later publicly sought a rematch after UFC 229 while also responding to NSAC discipline and criminal plea terms [9][4][2].
Khabib frames his actions as responses to personal and cultural attacks: he has said McGregor 'talk[ed] about my religion... my country... my father,' and he cited those insults, along with the April bus attack, as motives for his post-fight reaction at UFC 229 [3][1][9]. Khabib also emphasized team and family honor in explaining why the dispute escalated beyond standard fight trash talk [3].
From the organization's and regulator's standpoint, the incidents presented safety, legal and reputational risks that required formal action: the bus attack drew immediate condemnation and the Oct. 6 melee prompted Nevada commission sanctions to enforce discipline and deter future breaches [1][6][4]. UFC leadership publicly criticized the bus attack and the NSAC imposed asymmetric fines and suspensions after UFC 229 to address the post-fight violence [1][4].
As of the most recent reporting the rivalry is dormant: Khabib retired from MMA after 2020 and has repeatedly indicated he will not un-retire specifically for McGregor, while McGregor has publicly called for a rematch but no fight has been scheduled [4][9].
The public rift traces to an April 3, 2018 hotel confrontation between Khabib and Artem Lobov followed by McGregor's April 5, 2018 Barclays Center bus attack; those incidents, plus later personal social-media insults, escalated the dispute into a sustained feud [7][1][3].
At UFC 229 on Oct. 6, 2018 Khabib submitted McGregor in the fourth round; immediately after the finish Khabib vaulted the Octagon fence toward McGregor's corner and members of both camps engaged in a melee inside and outside the arena, prompting police statements and later NSAC discipline [9][6][4].
Yes. McGregor pleaded guilty on July 26, 2018 to a single count of disorderly conduct in Kings County related to the April 5, 2018 Barclays Center bus attack and received five days of community service, an anger-management evaluation and restitution as part of the plea [2].
On Jan. 29, 2019 the NSAC suspended Khabib for nine months and fined him $500,000; McGregor received a six-month suspension and a $50,000 fine, per ESPN reporting on the commission's vote [4].
Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were among those who sustained cuts or withdrew from UFC 223 after the April 5 bus attack, and Michael Chiesa later filed a civil suit that was discontinued via settlement on Dec. 2, 2022 [1][8].
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement saying that after parties were separated no one at the scene wished to press charges and no arrests occurred immediately, though regulatory and investigative follow-up continued in reporting [6].
The criminal charge against McGregor was resolved via his July 26, 2018 guilty plea [2], and the civil suit filed by Michael Chiesa related to the bus incident was discontinued via settlement on Dec. 2, 2022, per reporting [2][8].