Just weeks after calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov over an NFT project, Conor McGregor has turned his attention to Telegram founder Pavel Durov – but this time it’s all positive.
Last month, McGregor accused Khabib of taking advantage of fans by selling NFTs through Telegram, the app created by Durov. But since then, McGregor has deleted his comments and seems to have made a connection with Durov.
McGregor had previously called out Khabib for ‘fire-selling’ NFTs on Telegram. But he later deleted his comments and now seems to be getting along well with Durov.
Conor McGregor shares strong praise for Telegram’s Pavel Durov
Conor McGregor took to X to share his admiration for Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. McGregor, who has shown increasing political interest in recent years and even hinted at an Irish presidential run, has made free speech one of his main talking points.
“My brother Pavel Durov!” McGregor wrote alongside four photos of the pair together training and enjoying a formal night out. “In a world where governments are tightening their grip on our freedoms, big respect to Pavel Durov, the unbreakable force behind Telegram!
“This man is a true fighter: exiled from Russia for refusing to sell out user data, building an empire on privacy and free speech, and now calling out the EU’s ‘war against privacy’ with their impossible rules that punish innovation.
“He’s warning us we’re running out of time to save the free internet from a dystopian nightmare of surveillance and censorship. Even after his arrest in France and being blocked from speaking at freedom forums, he stands firm, removing harmful content without compromising principles.
“Pavel, you’re a legend and you are inspiring entrepreneurs and rebels everywhere to never back down. You are a dear friend and a loyal brother and I stand alongside you all the way 100%! #PavelDurov #FreeSpeechWarrior #Telegram #Legend.”
Durov replied by saying: “Appreciate the love, brother. You’re an unstoppable force of nature.”
Conor McGregor’s dig at Khabib Nurmagomedov over Telegram promotion
Durov has also spent time training with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who invited him to join his team for a session late last year. Together, they collaborated on a project that introduced ‘digital papakhas’ as symbols on the messaging platform.
Khabib eventually deleted posts related to the sale, but not before McGregor criticised him publicly on social media.
“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 fans robbed of their money,” he wrote.
“What a shame and a stain on his father’s name. Just wow! To scam fans using his father and his country’s culture is just so low… Father’s plan has now become father’s scam. Very sad.”
The response from Khabib’s side was direct: “You absolute liar. You will always try to darken my name, after you got destroyed that night, but you will never achieve that!
“Yes, good guys don’t do that. They don’t create exclusive digital gifts with real-time value that you can share with your friends and family. Gifts in the shape of Papakha – hat that symbolise traditions and culture of Dagestan people.
“Traditions and culture that slowly walking over this world, whether you like it or not! Gifts that you can find exclusively on Telegram, greatest messaging platform in the world.”
McGregor didn’t back down from his stance: “Apologise this instant for using your late father’s name to sell these ‘gifts’ that cost your fans so much of their money.
“Also to sell something means it is not a gift you low-IQ troglodyte! That is the direct opposite of what ‘gift’ means. Duh duh duh dumbass hahaha Scamming on your dead daddy’s name. Shame.”
