Conor McGregor Slams Khabib’s NFT Drop as ‘Scam,’ Sparking UFC Feud Revival and Crypto Twitter Storm

Introduction

The long-standing rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has explosively re-entered the public eye, this time migrating from the UFC Octagon to the arena of Crypto Twitter. The spark was lit when McGregor publicly accused Khabib’s newly launched Telegram-based NFT collection of being a “multi-million-dollar scam.” This allegation triggered a swift and fierce response from Khabib, who denied any wrongdoing and accused McGregor of reviving their personal feud with false claims. The drama escalated further with the intervention of prominent on-chain investigator ZachXBT, who shifted the narrative by highlighting McGregor’s own controversial history with a failed crypto token. This event has ignited a firestorm within the crypto community, raising questions about celebrity-led projects, accountability, and the thin line between cultural digital goods and speculative assets.

Khabib’s Telegram NFT Drop: A $4.4 Million Cultural Initiative

Khabib Nurmagomedov promoted a new digital collectibles drop on the Telegram platform, which quickly sold out. The collection was themed around the Dagestani papakha hat, a cultural symbol he famously wore during his UFC walkouts. In a single day, the NFT generation generated approximately $4.4 million in sales.

Crucially, Khabib framed these digital assets not as speculative financial instruments but as cultural digital gifts. He emphasized their link to Dagestani tradition and presented them as shareable items within Telegram’s ecosystem. This positioning was significant, as it set expectations for buyers: they were purchasing a digital representation of cultural heritage with social utility on a specific platform, not an investment vehicle primed for price appreciation.

McGregor’s Accusation: Labeling the Drop a “Scam”

The situation escalated when Conor McGregor publicly rejected Khabib’s narrative. In a series of since-deleted posts, McGregor directly accused Khabib of running a “multi-million-dollar scam.” A central part of his allegation was the claim that promotional posts for the NFT collection were deleted after the sale concluded, implying an attempt to hide the project's details after capitalizing on it.

This accusation immediately reverberated across social media, drawing strong reactions from both the mixed martial arts (MMA) and cryptocurrency communities. The claim tapped into broader, pre-existing concerns within the crypto space about "pump-and-dump" schemes and the potential for celebrity-endorsed projects to lack long-term substance or commitment.

Community Backlash and Defense of Khabib

McGregor’s comments were met with significant backlash. Critics questioned the validity of his claims, pointing out the lack of evidence that buyers had been defrauded. A post from a user highlighted the defensive stance, asking, “Can anybody find me a single person who bought the Khabib NFT who is claiming they have been scammed? Can anyone show me a single shred of evidence of Khabib misrepresenting what he was selling? The answer to both those questions are no.”

This sentiment was echoed by others who viewed McGregor's attack as an extension of his personal grudge rather than a genuine critique of the NFT project's mechanics. The defense underscored that the NFTs continued to function as described—digital gifts on Telegram—with no reports of buyers losing access to their assets or of broken utilities.

Escalating a Historic UFC Rivalry

McGregor’s public accusation served to revive one of the most bitter rivalries in UFC history, born from their iconic UFC 229 bout in 2018 where Khabib emerged victorious. For years, the two fighters have exchanged barbs focusing on family, legacy, and national pride.

In this latest chapter, McGregor’s criticism took a pointedly cultural tone. He suggested that Khabib was leveraging his father’s legacy and Dagestani cultural symbols to mislead fans, framing the entire NFT endeavor as a “cash grab” disguised as a celebration of heritage. This added a deeper, more personal layer to the crypto-related dispute, intertwining it with their longstanding personal animosity.

Khabib responded within hours, calling McGregor an “absolute liar” and accusing him of trying to “darken my name” since the UFC 229 loss. He reiterated that the NFTs were intended as cultural gifts and firmly denied any fraudulent activity.

ZachXBT’s Intervention and the Spotlight on McGregor’s REAL Token

The dynamic of the feud changed dramatically when on-chain investigator ZachXBT entered the conversation. ZachXBT reposted McGregor’s accusations but turned the focus back onto McGregor himself. In a post, he wrote, “There is just no way good guy McGregor used his reputation, as well as Irish culture, to scam his fans and fire sell a bunch of digital tokens online and then delete all of the posts after they were sold, leaving his fans robbed of their money?”

ZachXBT was referencing McGregor’s own foray into cryptocurrency, the “REAL token,” which was launched earlier in the year. Reports indicated that the REAL token raised significantly less than its publicly stated target, experienced a sharp price decline shortly after launch, and rapidly lost community support. Following this performance, McGregor deleted most of his promotional posts for the project, an action that left investors frustrated and led many to view the project as abandoned.

This intervention by a respected figure in crypto analytics swiftly reframed the narrative on Crypto Twitter. The community began to widely perceive McGregor’s attack on Khabib as hypocrisy, noting that his own token project exhibited more classic red flags—such as promotional post deletions and significant investor losses—than Khabib’s culturally-framed digital collectibles.

Aftermath: Deleted Posts and a Comparison of Projects

In the face of mounting backlash and ZachXBT's exposé on his own crypto history, Conor McGregor deleted his posts accusing Khabib’s NFT drop of being a scam.

A direct comparison of the two celebrity-linked projects reveals stark differences in their presentation and outcomes:

• Khabib’s NFT Drop: Marketed explicitly as a non-speculative cultural gift. The $4.4 million collection sold out quickly, and there are no reports of buyers being unable to access their NFTs or of the promised utilities being revoked. The assets continue to function as digital items within Telegram.
• McGregor’s REAL Token: Launched as a cryptocurrency token with implied financial potential. It failed to meet its fundraising goals, crashed in value, and was effectively abandoned by its promoter, who deleted related promotional content.

This contrast heavily influenced public perception during the feud. While Khabib’s project faced allegations based on its rapid financial success, it ultimately delivered on its stated premise. Conversely, McGregor’s project, which directly invited financial speculation, resulted in measurable investor losses and promotional abandonment.

Conclusion: A Cautionary Tale for Crypto Investors

The public clash between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov over an NFT drop has provided more than just drama; it has offered valuable lessons for the cryptocurrency community. The episode underscores the critical importance of scrutinizing celebrity-associated projects regardless of their fame outside the crypto sphere.

While Khabib’s NFT collection was presented as a cultural artifact with clear utility within a closed ecosystem, McGregor’s REAL token was a speculative asset that failed to deliver for its holders. The swift intervention by an entity like ZachXBT demonstrates the crypto community's growing ability to self-police and hold promoters accountable by referencing on-chain data and historical project performance.

For crypto readers and investors, this event reinforces key due diligence principles: look beyond celebrity names, examine the actual promises and utilities of a project, and research the promoter's history in the space. The market's response shows a maturation in which hype is increasingly balanced with demands for transparency and accountability. As celebrity involvement in crypto continues, this incident will likely serve as a benchmark for evaluating the legitimacy and intent behind such high-profile ventures.