Khabib Nurmagomedov has jokingly claimed referee Herb Dean was paid to allow Conor McGregor to cheat during their clash in 2018.
Nurmagomedov choked out McGregor in the fourth round of their grudge match to retain his lightweight title. But the Dagestani felt Dean allowed his rival to stretch the rules with footage emerging of McGregor being told to stop grabbing the champion's shorts.
Observers also felt McGregor was guilty of repeatedly landing illegal strikes as he struggling in his first Octagon appearance for two years.
And footage has now emerged of Nurmagomedov joking with Dean backstage at a recent UFC event. He says to his coach who is holding the camera, "Coach, how much do you think they paid him?" His coach replies: "I don't
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