Important points
- Conor McGregor has accused Khabib Nurmagomedov of duping fans with a $4.4 million NFT sale themed around Dagestan culture.
- Nurmagomedov defended the NFT drop as a legitimate celebration of tradition, calling McGregor’s claims false and retaliation.
UFC star Conor McGregor has publicly slammed longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov after dropping a series of NFTs inspired by the papaka, a digital version of the traditional Dagestani hat that the retired champion made famous on UFC fight nights.
Social media posts claimed that the release generated approximately $4.4 million, and after the sale, Nurmagomedov deleted previous posts promoting it.
McGregor immediately accused Nurmagomedov of “fraud”, claiming he used his late father’s name and Dagestani culture to extort money from fans before erasing evidence of the promotion. He called this a “shameful stain” on Nurmagomedov’s father’s legacy.
“How could the good-hearted Khabib use his late father’s name and Dagestani culture to defraud his fans, sell a bunch of digital NFTs online, then delete all the content after the sale and leave his fans deprived of their money?” McGregor wrote.
Nurmagomedov fired back, calling McGregor an “absolute liar” and claiming that NFTs are legitimate “digital gifts” with real value, created to celebrate Dagestan’s heritage. He said McGregor was trying to insult McGregor years after they lost the infamous fight in 2018.
McGregor also has his own history with crypto ventures.
The former UFC champion previously launched a meme token called REAL in partnership with Real World Gaming DAO, aiming to combine the appeal of meme coins with practicality and transparent funding.
However, the presale fell short of target, and the team ultimately processed refunds for all bidders.