Khabib vs Conor McGregor UFC 229 press conference: 'There will be blood on this canvas, October 6'
McGregor and Khabib taunted one anotther on stage in New York, with McGregor warning that there will be blood in the Octagon this October
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Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon next month after last year’s defeat by Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring.
The Irishman goes head to head with the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov on 6 October, in what will be arguably the biggest match-up MMA has seen in its history.
The pair meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, home to where McGregor was stopped by Mayweather last August, with a stellar night of bouts scheduled for UFC 229.
With little under than three weeks to go until the big date, McGregor spoke alongside Khabib in their first press conference for the fight.
"Don't come at the king, don't ever come at the king," McGregor yelled at Khabib, who remained calm and quiet for the duration of the press conference.
McGregor spent much of the press conference animated and threatening Khabib.
"I am in a war state of mind," McGregor said at one point when asked how he had prepared himself. "That's how I'm getting ready. That's how I am getting ready".
The fight will be McGregor's first in two years and the first one since his arrest in New York over an incident in which he threw a metal dolly at a bus that Khabib was riding in Brooklyn.
McGregor said that he is thankful Khabib was a "coward" who did not get off of the bus then.
"I just thank the lord Jesus Christ that that man did not have the balls to step foot off that bus because trust me — or that the bus door did not open — because if that bus door had opened, I would not be here right now," McGregor said. "He would be in a box, and I would be in a cell".
The press conference is over now, but you can read along for the updates we sent along as the event was ongoing.
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Hello and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the first Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor press conference ahead of their UFC 229 bout on 6 October.
We'll be bringing you live updates from 9.30pm.
'Suggesting McGregor is a working-class hero is an insult to the working class'
Ewan MacKenna details the fall, the rise and the fall again of Conor McGregor, who once set out to be a working class hero but has become everything he promised he wouldn't be.
'There's a problem with trying to be constantly controversial – when everything is, inversely nothing is as it becomes normality. There are those who say McGregor is entertaining but by now he's predictable, boring and, at regular intervals, much worse.'
Is there a better way to celebrate your birthday?
What are the chances that McGregor has bought him a card? A cake, maybe?
What do you do when you've won and earned everything there is? That's right, launch your whiskey brand.
Conor McGregor has launched his own brand of whiskey called Proper No. Twelve, a homage to where he grew up. He is the founder, chairman and majority owner of the company in conjunction with Eire Born Spirits.
“I come from a suburb called Crumlin, in Dublin 12. It’s a place dear to my heart. It’s where I learned how to fight; it made me who I am today. It’s a place I’m still very much a part of every single day of my life.
"It’s proper Irish whiskey and twelve is my hometown. So, that’s where the name came from. Growing up on the streets of Dublin 12, I learned the values of loyalty and hard work. I am the founder of this company and I am going to give it my all."
The taste is said to be "complex and sophisticated yet smooth and approachable with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood", and $5 for every case sold will be donated to local first responder groups and charities.
“First responders all over the world are the unsung heroes who act with courage and answer the call of duty every day for people in need,” McGregor said.
“I have great respect for these men and women. The company has committed to donate $5 for every case sold to local first responder organisations/charities, up to $1 million annually.
"The organisations/charities will be identified for each state and country around the world and donations will go directly to specific states and countries where sales take place." he said.
Dana White tips lightweight title fight to be ‘biggest in UFC history’
UFC president Dana White has said that Conor McGregor’s impending fight with undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has the potential to be the “biggest in the history of the company”.
Khabib: 'McGregor thinks be can KO me, we'll see'
Khabib Nurmagomedov has already started to talk down Conor McGregor's early claims that he will be able to knock him out.
“I don’t expect nothing from him,” the undefeated Russian said in a clip on the TMZ Sports website. “I just want to come, answer the questions… I’m focused on the fight.
“I’m gonna go crazy on the 6th October,” added Nurmagomedov. "I’m going to make him tired and make him look bad, this is my plan. He cannot fight all 25 minutes, maybe he thinks he can knock me out, we will see.”
Could we see some similar scenes to this in tonight's press conference?
Working on your birthday is never fun
What are the chances that McGregor has bought him a present? A cake, maybe?
McGregor is accused of causing physical and psychological harm
McGregor pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct over an incident that happened on April 5, but avoided going to jail after striking a deal with prosecutors.
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