Irish MMA star Conor McGregor has prompted a barrage of criticism by posting a photo of his adversary, reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his wife with a fully covered face on their wedding day with a caption "Your wife is a towel mate"[sic]. The message was deleted just 15 minutes after the publication, according to MSN sports, but the screen grabs have gone viral and triggered debates online. Many users have accused the “Notorious” of being disrespectful and even racist towards the Muslim athlete from Russia.
Even McGregor’s supporters seemed baffled.
@SevereMMAPod absolutely classless from McGregor again. You can’t condone Khabib’s actions after their last fight, but you can see his reasoning for doing it as well. pic.twitter.com/KvPDr3Dbnl
Some pointed out that it was not the first time McGregor had crossed the line.
Apart from the “towel” comment, McGregor also posted and deleted another personal strike jab at Nurmagomedov with two pictures of his brother, wounded from the altercation after his defeat.
"I smacked your brother around and took a s*** in this hat", the post reportedly read.
The only tweet from his tirade against Nurmagomedov that apparently remained on McGregor’s account was an invitation for a rematch formulated in the Notorious’ unmistakable style.
While the prospect of a rematch remains vague, Nurmagomedov has not missed a chance to lambast his rival, either.
The fighter, who was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for prompting an altercation after his fourth-round submission of McGregor, recently dissed the Irish MMA star during a public talk at Moscow's Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. He mocked McGregor, saying “tomorrow he will say that he comes back and all the media will talk about it", noting it is what he wants.
"He could not reach an agreement with the UFC and now wants to play this card. Conor acts like a jealous wife, who says 'I will leave' all the time, but then comes back", Nurmagomedov said.
McGregor, who held the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight title in two consecutive years, in 2015 and 2016, earlier revealed he had decided to quit MMA, while, rumour has it that is not a final decision.
READ MORE: 'One King in the Jungle': Khabib Taunts McGregor Over Retirement Announcement
The infamous UFC bus melee, in which the Notorious attacked his octagon opponent Nurmagomedov, is only one of a number of court cases, he has been involved recently. Hardly had he completed 25 hours of community service in New York’s churches, which a court had mandated, when another case came along, in which McGregor was charged with destroying one of his fans’ smartphones in a fit of violence when the person attempted to capture the Notorious on camera.