'Conor's like a jealous wife who leaves and then comes back': Khabib slams McGregor on retirement

UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has mocked Conor McGregor over his recent "retirement" announcement, likening him to a "jealous wife", and reaffirmed his own position regarding his return to the octagon later this year.

Nurmagomedov issued his latest response to the controversial Irishman while addressing the students of Moscow's Plekhanov Russian University of Economics on Tuesday.

READ MORE: UFC superstar Conor McGregor announces 'retirement from MMA'

When asked about the situation with McGregor and his recently announced "retirement," Nurmagomedov mocked the tumultuous Irishman, saying it is obvious that he is not actually retired, and that he will certainly return to the UFC.

"Tomorrow he will say that he comes back and all the media will talk about it. That's what he wants," said the Dagestan native.

"He could not reach an agreement with the UFC and now wants to play this card. Conor acts like a jealous wife, who says 'I will leave' all the time, but then comes back," he added.

The 30-year-old Dagestan native is currently serving a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspension for instigating a brawl following his fourth-round submission of McGregor at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena in October, and will be cleared to return from July 6 this year.

READ MORE: 'Khabib will be back in September': UFC boss Dana White on Russian champ's return to octagon

But the reigning UFC lightweight champion is standing by his teammate and UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, who was handed his own a one-year ban by the NSAC for his part in the post-fight melee at UFC 229.

It means Tukhugov will not be eligible to return to action until October 6, and Nurmagomedov restated his position regarding his own return, doubling down on his commitment to not fight for the UFC until his teammate's ban has also been lifted.

"I want to come back in September," said the UFC champion. But Zubaira Tukhugov is still banned, and I won't fight ahead of him. I jumped out of the cage, he shouldn't suffer because of my actions."