'Far away from reality': Khabib Nurmagomedov's message to Conor McGregor after his defeat against Dustin Poirier

Moments after Conor McGregor faced a shocking defeat on his return to the Octagon, former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took a dig at the Irishman. In a tweet directed at McGregor, his past rival, Nurmagomedov said this is what happens when you leave your old sparring partners behind and train with new members. 

"This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality," Nurmagomedov tweeted on Sunday.

This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality. — khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 24, 2021

In the UFC257 event on Sunday, Dustin Poirier staged an exciting upset as he defeated McGregor via technical knockout in the second round.

The match started with McGregor getting an upperhand and Poirier trying to slow down his opponent. The latter then caught McGregor with a barrage of punches to the head before after buckling his knees with two left hands.

Out of the many punches, a right-handed blow knocked out the Irishman and subsequently the fight was stopped by referee Herb Dean, declaring Poirier as the winner via technical knockout. 

This was the first time McGregor suffered a defeat via techincal knockout.

“You know, it’s hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time,” said McGregor, who hadn’t fought since beating Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds last January.

“I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be, but Dustin is some fighter. If you put in the time, you’re going to get cozy in here. I have to dust it off and come back, and that’s what I will do. … I’ll take my licks, but I’m gutted.”