LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor is notoriously late for most UFC-related obligations. If he has to be at a news conference or open workout at a certain time, there is a good chance he will show up at least a half-hour late.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was not going to wait Thursday.
Nurmagomedov took the stage at the Park Theater at exactly 3:00 p.m. for a scheduled news conference with him McGregor and UFC president Dana White. He picked up a microphone and said, “It’s 3 p.m., the press conference is beginning.”
White was still in the back when Nurmagomedov came out and the UFC official live stream was in the middle of a commercial and planning to run an intro with music before going straight to the podium.
“Conor’s not here yet and Khabib said he’s not going to wait,” White said after rushing out after Nurmagomedov. “He wants to start the press conference without him.”
Nurmagomedov would answer questions for 15 minutes before leaving, forcing White to stall for 10 minutes before McGregor finally arrived to the theater at 3:25 p.m.
“I don’t need to wait for nobody, this is 3 p.m., fans are here, media is here,” Nurmagomedov said. “I don’t think about him. I have schedule and at 3 p.m. the press conference has to begin because I have a schedule. I have to make weight. I have to worry about myself. Why (do) I have to think about him, (if) he comes or not? If somebody is late, it’s not my problem.”
Not having McGregor and Nurmagomedov on the same stage at the same time, answering questions and facing off two days before arguably the biggest fight in UFC history would seemingly be a problem for UFC but White was not overly concerned with McGregor’s late arrival after Nurmagomedov had already left.
“They’re going to see them face off (Friday) when it really counts,” White said, referring to the weigh-in. “When they both make weight and they both mentally are where they are after these weight cuts going into Saturday. You cannot deny that the weigh-ins on Friday are the best day other than the fight when they square off.”
When McGregor did arrive, he received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Park Theater and handed White a bottle of his new signature whiskey.
“He knew what he signed up for, I’ve been late,” McGregor said. “The traffic is a little heavy. There must be a McGregor fight going on. I don’t know where he is. He’s better off running anyway. He didn’t say anything the last time. It is what it is. These things happen. I did not plan this. I tried to get here. He doesn’t want to be around me. He doesn’t want to be around these people. He’s petrified.”
While Nurmagomedov and McGregor did not see each other on the stage Thursday, the dislike for each other was evident when they spoke about their fight on Saturday.
“Honestly for me, this is more than defending a title, more than a fight for the title, more than a main event, for me its personal, honestly it’s personal,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s the biggest fight in UFC history and we’re going to breaks numbers but for me it’s personal.”
McGregor and Nurmagomedov both said they would not shake each other’s hands regardless of the outcome and that the rivalry between the two would extend past Saturday.
“There is way deeper s— than just a fight on Saturday night,” McGregor said. “I’m going to settle this the noble way for myself and see what happen after that… F— peace. There will never be peace here. I always say you should aim for peace but if you can’t aim for peace, aim between the eyes. I’m going to aim between that man’s eyes and this is never over. Never, ever, ever, over.”