Conor McGregor accuses Khabib of using late father’s name to scam fans

Conor McGregor has reignited his long-standing feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov on social media – just days after ‘finding God.’

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), McGregor alleges that Nurmagomedov used his late father’s name, as well as Dagestan’s culture, to con fans.

McGregor’s social media blackout ended on November 23 after a near two-month hiatus.

‘The Notorious’ returned by announcing he had undergone a series of treatments to address trauma, where God apparently came to him in the Holy Trinity.

And despite his epiphany, McGregor is refusing to live and let live and has turned his attention back to his fierce rival, claiming he has scammed his supporters.

This is because Nurmagomedov is believed to have made more than $4million in one day selling over 29,000 NFTs for $150 each on Telegram, according to KuCoin.

NFTs are non-fungible tokens, digital assets on a blockchain that represent ownership of a virtual item like art or animation.

What is a papahka?

Nurmagomedov auctioned NFTs of the papakha hat – a traditional headdress worn by men in Dagestan, a mountainous republic of Russia in the North Caucasus region – often while going to war.

As part of his Dagestani Avar background, the fighter often wore one after fights and during promotional events.

He made it iconic within the mixed martial arts space and pop culture. To promote the NFT drop, in a now-deleted post on X, Nurmagomedov wrote:

“The papakha was never just a hat. It was about where you come from, respect and discipline. It reminds us that true strength comes from tradition, not just power.

“These are all things my father taught me when he passed the papakha down to me. And now, I’m passing it on to you.”

After a successful purchase, the papakha sits in your Telegram profile’s Gifts tab. You can ‘wear’ it in-app, letting the animation and backdrop decorate your profile.

McGregor took issue with the alleged scandal, posting:

“There is just no way good guy Khabib used his late father’s name, as well as Dagestan’s culture, to scam his fans and fire sell a bunch of digital NFTs online and then delete all of the content after they were sold, leaving his fans robbed of their money?”

Nurmagomedov fired back, branding McGregor an “absolute liar.”

He described the papakha NFTs as “exclusive digital gifts with real time value that you can share with friends and family.”

Before going on to plug the NFTs at the end: “Gifts that you can find exclusively on Telegram, the greatest messaging platform in the world.”

McGregor went on to say it was a “stain on his father’s name. Father’s plan has now become father’s scam. Very sad.”

You absolute liar

You will always try to darken my name, after you got destroyed that night, but you will never achieve that!

Yes, good guys don’t do that.

They don’t create exclusive digital gifts with real time value, that you can share with your friends and family.

Gifts…

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) November 26, 2025

Khabib’s controversial history with cryptocurrency

This wasn’t Nurmagomedov’s first step into the cryptocurrency sphere. Last month, Mavryk Network revealed that its global gym franchise would be tokenised on its blockchain.

Reportedly a multi-billion-dollar deal between the former fighter and MultiBank Group, the project aims to tokenise Khabib Gyms worldwide, transforming them into tradeable onchain assets.

Investors will be able to buy fractionalised ownership stakes through MultiBank’s real-world assets (RWA) platform.

Nurmagomedov has launched multiple NFT collections in recent years, as well as promising passes to private events that he holds several times a year or to enter his ‘exclusive club’ that mines bitcoin for buyers.

One of those collections featured virtual trading cards. The entry-level gold card was priced at $2,900, allowing holders to participate in exclusive prize drawings.

Platinum card holders ($29,000) received a personal gift from Nurmagomedov and one diamond card ($290,000) received a gift from the fighter at a personal meeting.

Last November, he endorsed a satirical meme coin inspired by McGregor’s civil case, where he was held liable for sexual assault, called $Convict.