Conor McGregor taunts Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of UFC 229

Conor McGregor (right) and Khabib Nurmagomedov in a face-off during UFC 229 press conference

New York, September 21: Conor McGregor said Khabib Nurmagomedov is a "dead man walking" and a "little glass-jaw rat" during a chaotic preview of the upcoming UFC 229 blockbuster.

There is plenty of history and hatred between McGregor (21-3) and Khabib (26-0) after the former was involved in an attack on a bus at a UFC 223 media day in April.

It came following a reported run-in between Russian lightweight champion Khabib and McGregor's training partner Artem Lobov – the Irish star later turning himself into police and pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.

But McGregor and Khabib finally stood face-to-face after months of verbal and physical altercations between the teams, and it was loud and entertaining in New York on Thursday (September 20).

Speaking ahead of UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 6, McGregor – stepping back into the octagon for the first time since 2016 – taunted Khabib during the news conference.

OCTOBER 6TH.#UFC229: 🇷🇺 @TeamKhabib vs. 🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA

THE 🌎 IS WATCHING! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/Gy4wx5QB0X
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2018

"I'm going to truly love putting a beating on this little glass-jaw rat," McGregor said. "He's fought absolutely nobody. He's in over his head. I'm going to pick him apart and absolutely maul him. He's dead man walking."

The UFC 223 incident at Barclays Center was a hot topic on Thursday and McGregor was more than willing to discuss what transpired.

Video footage showed a group, including McGregor, throwing large objects at a bus as they sought out Khabib in wild scenes inside the Brooklyn arena.

McGregor, who spoke over Khabib every time his rival tried to talk, said: "I just thank the lord Jesus Christ that man hadn't got the balls to step foot off that bus. Because trust me, if that bus door had opened, this man would be dead right now.

"This man would be in a box and I would be in a cell and we would not have this great fight ahead of us. There are many things I can speak on about that incident about the lead-up and about my emotions and things like that, but there are still many ongoing situations in it, so I am just here to compete."

When Khabib did speak, he said: "He can talk whatever he wants, He's going to talk, I know. (October 6th) is most important when they close the cage. doors. (October 6th), what are you going to do? I'm going to maul you."