UFC Icon McGregor and Retired Champion Khabib Clash Over NFT Project Controversy

The NFT Project at the Center of the Dispute

On November 26, an escalating conflict between two UFC legends over a digital token initiative grabbed the attention of the cryptocurrency community. The controversy revolves around Khabib Nurmagomedov’s “Papakha” NFT collection, a project featuring digital representations of the traditional Dagestani sheepskin hat worn during fighter walkouts.

The collection comprised 29,000 NFTs that sold out remarkably quickly—within just 25 hours—reportedly generating millions in revenue. Nurmagomedov’s team framed the initiative as “exclusive digital gifts with real-time value” designed to honor Dagestani heritage and preserve cultural traditions through blockchain technology.

McGregor’s Public Response to the NFT Launch

Conor McGregor, the five-time UFC champion, wasted no time responding to the project’s execution. On X (formerly Twitter), McGregor expressed serious concerns about how the initiative unfolded. He questioned the ethics of promoting an NFT collection tied to cultural heritage and a late father’s legacy, only to subsequently remove all promotional content from social media platforms once sales concluded.

McGregor’s statement highlighted a pattern he considered problematic: “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?”

Khabib’s Defense and Team Response

Nurmagomedov’s team quickly pushed back against the allegations, defending the project’s legitimacy. They stressed that the NFTs represented genuine “exclusive digital gifts” with inherent value and utility, available exclusively through Telegram. The team characterized the project as a celebration of Dagestani traditions rather than a commercial exploitation scheme.

ZachXBT Enters the Debate with On-Chain Analysis

Hours after McGregor’s public statement, ZachXBT—a prominent blockchain investigator known for tracking cryptocurrency transactions and NFT activities—weighed in on the controversy. Rather than remaining neutral, ZachXBT drew a parallel between the current situation and McGregor’s own NFT venture from 2022 called “McGregor Realm.”

Using McGregor’s own rhetoric as leverage, ZachXBT questioned whether the same standards should apply to the fighter’s previous digital token initiatives. The on-chain sleuth’s intervention introduced a layer of irony to the dispute, suggesting that both fighters may have engaged in similar promotional strategies with their respective NFT projects.

The Broader Implications for Celebrity-Backed NFTs

This high-profile clash between two combat sports icons shines a spotlight on the ongoing tensions surrounding celebrity-promoted digital assets. The incident raises questions about transparency, post-sale accountability, and the ethical use of cultural and personal narratives to market blockchain-based projects. As independent researchers like ZachXBT continue examining these transactions, the cryptocurrency community watches closely to determine whether such initiatives represent legitimate innovation or problematic marketing tactics.