It is safe to say that Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, and the pair have a complicated history.

There have been numerous controversial incidents between the pair, such as the bus incident in Brooklyn or the skirmish in the Octagon immediately after their bout.

The biggest star in UFC history against perhaps the greatest and most dominant fighter in UFC history was always bound to create fireworks.

For the fight itself, we saw an out-of-sorts and flat McGregor outclassed by the supreme and sharper Khabib.

However, since the fight, talk of a rematch has been rampant in the media, and Dana White knows it would be a massive draw, regardless of if McGregor is deserving of a second bite of the cherry against “The Eagle.”

In a recent interview with renowned ESPN sports personality Stephen A. Smith to promote his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier on Saturday at UFC 264, “The Notorious” was asked what the loss against Khabib meant for his career.

“Where’s he gone though? Where’s he now? He went sprinting. He’s gone, s*** his jocks, became fat, riding off. He’s done nothing in the sport. F*** all he’s done in the sport.”

Somebody off camera then chimed in to remind McGregor of Khabib’s undefeated record.

“The Notorious” then went on a scathing attack of Khabib’s legacy, questioning the legitimacy of his earlier fights and his overall achievements in mixed martial arts.

“Yeah, brilliant. And what? He’s 13-0 fighting guys with three wins and six losses, it was his father’s shows. His father had the shows set up and he was fighting guys with two wins and eight losses. That’s his record up until he’s 20-0. He has three fights on the trot in the UFC that done him well, and then before that, it’s nothing. It’s pull outs, couldn’t make weight. That’s that, and now he’s gone.”

Khabib, never a man to back down from confrontation, then responded via an Instagram comment, reminding McGregor of the punishing manner in which he defeated him at UFC 229 back in October 2018.

“There is nothing better in this sport than bring your opponent to the deep ocean, let them know what they’re about, and let them tap.”

McGregor returns to the Octagon on Saturday against Poirier, and he can’t afford to look beyond this bout to the prospect of a second fight against Khabib, as a second loss in a row would leave his current career at the upper echelons of the UFC’s lightweight division in a questionable position.

With Khabib seemingly enjoying retired life, and McGregor pursuing other fights, a rematch between the old enemies has never seemed so distant.