Conor McGregor tweets good wishes for Khabib Nurmagomedov's ailing father

Tom Gatto

Conor McGregor tweets good wishes for Khabib Nurmagomedov's ailing father image

Conor McGregor briefly put aside his dislike of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on Wednesday to tweet his concern for Nurmagomedov's ailing father.

McGregor saw news reports that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is in a coma in a Russian hospital and offered prayers for him and his family.  

The elder Nurmagomedov is also the undefeated champion's coach.

The social media post cooled another flareup between the fighters that began with a tweet by Nurmagomedov after UFC 249 early Sunday.

The champion had two words after watching Justin Gaethje defeat Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight belt:

Gaethje was in the Octagon because Nurmagomedov couldn't travel out of Russia for the fight amid the coronavirus pandemic.

MORE: Khabib-Gaethje set for 'Fight Island,' Dana White says

McGregor used the tweet to insult Nurmagomedov and challenge Gaethje. (Language warning for the tweet below.)

McGregor also blasted Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who manages Gaethje as well.

Khabib, in turn, sent a series of tweets trash-talking McGregor over their 2018 title fight, which Nurmagomedov won handily.

The bout is also remembered for a postfight brawl outside the Octagon. Both fighters were suspended for their roles in it. Months before, McGregor was arrested in Brooklyn, N.Y., after throwing a dolly through a bus window in an attempt to confront Khabib.

Then, in the lead-up to his fight with Khabib, McGregor called Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov a "quivering coward."

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.