Mac Claims Taps Don’t Count, ‘Eagle’ Responds

Hey, remember when Khabib Nurmagomedov strangled Conor McGregor into submission at UFC 229 to retain his lightweight title?

Yeah, that doesn’t count.

Neither does McGregor’s surrender to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, or the pair of taps “Notorious” registered on the regional circuit back in Ireland.

Confused? Allow “Mystic Mac” to explain.

“My record in mixed martial arts is 19 wins and one loss,” McGregor told ESPN. “I only count knockouts. Dustin’s record is 13 wins, two losses. The only thing that’s final in this business is a knockout. All the other shit, the decisions, the taps, all that shit means nothing to me. I’m coming to take a man’s head off.”

He was already 0-1 in boxing, so nothing changes there.

McGregor’s attempt to rewrite the MMA rules of winning and losing had a variety of reactions on social media. UFC middleweight Kevin Holland was elated to learn he is now undefeated, while Nurmagomedov — who retired last fall — directed his response toward his former rival.

“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,” Nurmagomedov wrote.

McGregor will have the opportunity to improve his fake record to 20-1 when he completes his trilogy with Dustin Poirier atop the UFC 264 pay-per-view (PPV) event, taking place this Sat. night (July 10, 2021) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 264 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early Fight Pass/ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

For much more on UFC 264: “Poirier vs. McGregor 3” be sure to check out our official UFC 264 news archive by clicking here. For the complete UFC 264 fight card and PPV lineup spread across Fight Pass, ESPN+, and ESPN click here.