Conor McGregor has been slammed for hitting out at social media sensation Hasbulla Magomedov.
Fans labelled the Notorious a "rich little weirdo" after he went after the Russian in a series of tweets.
The former two-weight UFC champion has twice taken to social media in the last few days to take a series of surprisingly aggressive shots at the Russian teenager, who has become one of the most recognisable faces on the internet. First, he launched an angry attack on Magomedov, insisting that he would kick him like a Gaelic football, reports The Mirror.
And last night he was back again, sharing a photo of himself on holiday holding one of his children's toys with the Russian photoshopped over it. He captioned the photo with a message that read: "now what you saying you little gimp?"
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It followed a series of messages where McGregor threatened to kick the 3'4" Russian. "I’d love to boot that little gimp Hasbulla over a goal post," McGregor tweeted and deleted. "How much to get him on the volley? I’m going to make it my mission to score a three pointer with him one day, hon the GAA."
Fans were outraged at his latest post, with one saying that "this is just sad and pathetic," which drew the response from another fan "that pretty much sums up Conor’s career post Mayweather fight". Some branded him a "bully", leaving comments such as "That's Conor alright, always the bully and attention seeking has-been that he is". Another said: "I wouldn't be surprised if he genuinely tries to fight Hasbulla. Like uncle Chael Sonnen said, he's turned into a rich little weirdo."
Hasbulla hit back at McGregor with a message of his own on Instagram, imploring the UFC to allow him to face McGregor. He claims that he will "smash" the Irishman with his "mountain spirit", and cited his pal Khabib Nurmagomedov's 2018 win over the Irishman as his inspiration.
"Hey uncle Dana White and UFC," he said in an Instagram story. "Please make it happen, let me eat this chicken @thenotoriousmma [McGregor's social media handle]. I am very hungry, I'm going to smash him with my mountain spirit. My brother Khabib smashed him and all his team once, now is my time to rise! #HasbullaTime."
The Russian is generally beloved by fans and fighters alike in the MMA world. The teenager has had photo ops and meetings with the likes of White, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and McGregor's arch nemesis Nurmagomedov, who was the first to help him rise to prominence.
The Australian champion insisted that McGregor would need to fight him before getting near Magomedov. He said: "You’ll have to go through me first, leave my mate alone." Volkanovski laughed off a prank from the Russian in a recent video when he had a burger smashed in his face as the pair were filming a video in Australia.
McGregor doesn't see the funny side of Hasbulla's gimmick, which includes punching famous fighters and celebrities when he meets them. He has twice taken to social media to mock the youngster and threaten him in his 'tweet-and-delete' sprees.
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