McGregor and Khabib Embroiled in NFT Drama, ZachXBT Exposes Hypocrisy
The long-standing rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has resurfaced in an unexpected arena, sparking a controversy that mixes personal history, digital collectibles, and renewed criticism of celebrity involvement in crypto projects. The dispute began when McGregor criticized Khabib’s recent NFT drop, calling it a “million-dollar scam” related to a Telegram-based NFT collection called the “Papakha” drop.
The project included 29,000 digital versions of the traditional Dagestani hat that Khabib wore during his UFC strikes and was marketed as a cultural tribute to his late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. The NFTs reportedly sold out in just 25 hours, but controversy arose when promotional posts disappeared from Khabib’s Instagram and X pages, leading McGregor to claim fans had been misled.
Source: Telegram marketplace
Celebrity Crypto Failures Under Scrutiny
Nurmagomedov responded to McGregor’s criticism, insisting that the collection was legitimate and designed as an “exclusive digital gift” symbolizing Dagestan traditions. However, the debate escalated when on-chain investigator ZachXBT entered the discussion, accusing McGregor of hypocrisy over his own failed meme coin launch.
ZachXBT reminded the public of McGregor’s April 2025 meme coin $REAL, which was offered in an auction with sealed bids and staking rewards for participants. Despite the ambitious start, the project only achieved 39% of its intended goal, resulting in a full refund to investors. ZachXBT’s post questioned whether it was credible to label Khabib a cheater while McGregor himself had previously failed to implement a digital token project.
Source: Conor McGregor on X
Meme Coin Market Decline and Celebrity Involvement
The meme coin market has been one of the hottest narratives and best-performing sectors in crypto in 2024. However, its rapid rise came to an abrupt halt in 2025 due to general turmoil in the meme and NFT markets. After peaking at $116.7 billion in early January, the sector slumped to $39.4 billion in November, a 66% decline, as several political and celebrity-backed startups quickly lost value or were accused of wrongdoing.
Source: Coinmarketcap
The ongoing dispute between McGregor and Nurmagomedov highlights the renewed scrutiny that celebrity crypto promotions are facing, especially at a time when failures, stalled pre-sales, and alleged misrepresentations continue to attract attention. For more information on this story, visit https://cryptonews.com/news/mcgregor-khabib-nft-drama-zachxbt-failed-memecoin/
