“He’s warning us”: Conor McGregor praises Khabib Nurmagomedov’s close friend Pavel Durov weeks after Telegram feud

Conor McGregor surprised many MMA fans this week when he publicly praised Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, even though he had strongly criticized Khabib Nurmagomedov over a Telegram-linked project just weeks earlier. On Monday, January 2026, McGregor shared a long post on X, calling Durov a “legend” and a “dear friend,” while posting photos of them training and spending time together.The praise came after McGregor had accused Khabib Nurmagomedov in November 2025 of misleading fans through a Telegram digital project. That earlier post caused noise across the MMA world before McGregor deleted it. Now, his new words show a very different tone, and they have pulled fresh attention to the strange link between McGregor, Durov, and his long-time rival.In his new message, Conor McGregor made it clear that he supports Pavel Durov and what he stands for. Writing on X, McGregor opened his post with, “My brother Pavel Durov!” He followed it with praise for Durov’s views on privacy and free speech.McGregor wrote that Durov is a “true fighter,” saying he was pushed out of Russia for refusing to give away user data and that he built Telegram around privacy. Conor McGregor also talked about Durov’s public comments against what he called growing pressure from governments.“He’s warning us we’re running out of time to save the free internet,” McGregor wrote. He also mentioned Durov’s reported arrest in France and his claims about being blocked from speaking at free-speech events in Europe.McGregor ended his post with strong personal words, calling Durov a “legend,” a “loyal brother,” and someone he stands beside “100%.” The message stood out because of its emotional tone and because it came from a fighter known for rarely praising people linked to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s world. The reason fans are talking is what happened only weeks earlier. In November 2025, Conor McGregor publicly accused Khabib Nurmagomedov of being part of a Telegram digital sale that he claimed hurt fans. That project was linked to Telegram and involved digital items inspired by Dagestan culture.At that time, McGregor wrote that he did not believe “good guy Khabib” would use his late father’s name or his roots to “scam fans.” He said the sale and later deletion of posts made supporters feel cheated. Those posts were later removed by McGregor, but screenshots quickly spread across social media.Pavel Durov, meanwhile, has been seen training with Khabib Nurmagomedov and visiting his team. Khabib even invited Durov to train with him last year. Because of that, Durov is now seen as one of the few people connected to both men, whose rivalry dates back to their heated UFC fight in October 2018 in Las Vegas.Conor McGregor’s sudden praise of Pavel Durov, after his sharp words about Khabib Nurmagomedov, adds a new twist to a rivalry that never seems far from headlines.