Khabib’s $4.4 Million NFT Sale Triggers Feud as McGregor Accuses Him of ‘Crypto Scam’

A heated exchange between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has erupted over Khabib’s new NFT project, which generated significant profits in a short time. McGregor labeled the project a scam, raising questions about accountability among celebrities in the NFT space.

Key Takeaways

Conor McGregor has accused Khabib Nurmagomedov of orchestrating a scam with his recent NFT project, Papakha.
The dispute highlights growing concerns regarding celebrity responsibility and increasing regulatory attention on NFT ventures.
Khabib's digital collectible sale brought in $4.4 million within 25 hours, but controversy arose when promotional posts were deleted shortly after.

McGregor's Accusations Against Khabib

On November 26, Conor McGregor publicly accused former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov of running a scam involving digital collectibles. This conflict revolves around Khabib's NFT collection, known as “Papakha,” which features digital versions of his famous hat and was sold through Telegram. Khabib promoted the NFTs last weekend, celebrating a traditional headpiece associated with his undefeated career in the UFC.

The launch included 29,000 NFTs, reportedly generating over $4.4 million in just 25 hours. However, after the sale concluded, the promotional posts were deleted, prompting McGregor's backlash.

The Origin of the Controversy

McGregor's criticisms included allegations that Khabib exploited Dagestani culture and his late father’s name to profit from fans before erasing evidence of the sale. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his outrage—though his post has since been removed—stating, “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?”

He added, “There is just no way good guy do this. Father's plan has now become Father’s scam. Very sad.”

McGregor slams Khabib

In response, Khabib called McGregor “an absolute liar,” defending the NFT venture as a genuine homage to his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, and a tribute to Dagestani heritage, asserting that it was not designed as a speculative cash grab.

ZachXBT Enters the Fray

The situation took another twist when blockchain investigator ZachXBT became involved. Instead of defending Khabib, he scrutinized McGregor's own NFT history. ZachXBT shared McGregor's claims alongside information about the Irish fighter's 2022 NFT initiative, “McGregor Realm,” which similarly attracted attention before fading away quietly.

ZachXBT cleverly added, “Sound familiar?” before eventually removing the post. This exchange reignited one of MMA's most intense rivalries while shedding light on the broader issue of accountability among celebrities in the cryptocurrency realm. The longstanding feud has transformed into a digital confrontation, despite Khabib's retirement with an undefeated record and McGregor's plans for a comeback after an injury.

The Bigger Picture

This dispute emerges amid a recovering global cryptocurrency market, with the market cap regaining the $3.12 trillion mark, largely fueled by Bitcoin's price climbing above $90,000. Nevertheless, their feud highlights rising regulatory concerns. Recently, the UK's Serious Fraud Office arrested two individuals following the £21 million failure of Basis Markets, a crypto-investment scheme tied to NFTs. Investigators revealed that promoters misappropriated funds after promising investors algorithmic trading returns via NFT-based “membership access.”

These developments indicate that NFTs are moving beyond a regulatory "grey zone." Whether this incident stems from a failed celebrity NFT launch or something more coordinated will unfold in due time.